President Donald Trump is continuing a midterm campaign push less than a week until Election Day as Republicans try to maintain control of the House and Senate.
Trump has crisscrossed the country holding near-daily rallies in the final month of the campaign in an effort to drive supporters to the polls.
“We'll see what happens on Tuesday, but I think we've made a big impact,” Trump told reporters.
The president sees his efforts “as the momentum shifter that Republicans have been waiting for,” according to a White House official, who said the president is fixated on winning both chambers of Congress.
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“I think that there is a real momentum shift based on just the overall aspect of seeing a quote-unquote doom and gloom midterm election to now seeing real excitement on the ground that is an undercurrent that people aren't necessarily talking about in the media per se,” the official said.
Trump believes his rallies are helping boost Republican enthusiasm and support for candidates he is throwing his weight behind.
“For whatever reason, presidents don't win, almost never, the midterms. And I think we've really turned it around. And, you know, I think the rallies have turned it, frankly, just to be honest. And every senator feels the same way,” Trump told reporters.
Officials believe that’s coming to bear in returns.
“I think that has direct application and direct response of what we are seeing in some of the early vote numbers,” the official added.
There are "plenty of good signs in the returns from what we’ve seen,” an RNC official said, but noted still a lot of work to do.
“The biggest thing I’m looking for in the data right now is what the electorate is shaping up to be. There’s different versions of that electorate that tell me a bit of a different story of what may happen in November,” the RNC official said.
Republicans are looking for Trump to turn out his base of supporters.
“POTUS will definitely help on the turnout end,” said the RNC official, who noted his base does not tend to be midterm voters. While the official acknowledged a larger hill to climb than democrats, they “always knew that would be the case.”
Trump is imploring supporters to consider him on the ballot.
“I’m asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. So when I'm on the ballot, when I'm on the ballot, I get 49.2% more votes. So when I'm not on the ballot, therefore, I don't get that, but I really am on the ballot if you think, because all of those tax cuts, all of the things that we've got and all of the victories that we've had with Venezuela, soon Iran, we'll close that one out too. All of the success we've had, you know, your state has the best numbers in history. And that's because of what we've done -- our economic policy,” Trump told supporters at an Ohio rally Wednesday.
His campaign press comes as Americans express concerns over the economy and cost of living.
At least three-quarters of respondents to an AP/NORC poll released earlier in October disapproved of the president’s handling of the economy and cost of living.
The economy is the North Star, a senior administration official previously told Scripps News.
On the campaign trail, the president has touted what he views as his administration’s accomplishments- things like private sector job growth, investments, foreign policy with Venezuela and Iran- and warned against democratic policies, announcing new economic- and energy-focused policy at many of his stops. That is expected to continue and that message generally won’t change, a senior administration official previously explained.
“I mean the administration has a number of different wins to be able to sell in all of these different in all of these different states, and the cabinet, under the direction of the president, has done a good job of bringing real wins, bringing real tangible net positives to these different states,” said the White House official, who suggested this would continue to be discussed with “more to come.”
However, the president’s approval rating has averaged below 40 percent in recent surveys and recent polling shows tight races in recent solidly red areas like Texas, Ohio and South Carolina where the president has made multiple stops.
Trump has generally dismissed surveys, though, as do officials. A White House official contends there’s an oversaturation. “I do have a hard time believing whatever public polling is out there, because I just don't think it's accurate,” the official said. Another senior administration official previously contended the numbers are not as dire as thought if they go race by race and pointed to the Republicans' war chest.
But some contend the president is not having the effect he’s touting.
“I mean, his approval rating is in the toilet. That is not in question. I think there are some legitimate questions about the veracity of polling in some of these House races and Senate races, but it is not in dispute that America has grown tired of Donald Trump,” said a national Republican strategist.
The strategist said the enthusiasm is with his base, “and that sounds like a lot of wishful thinking to me.”
“We are going to see a tsunami in some areas and a heavy rainfall in others,” said the strategist. “Arizona, Nevada, some seats in California, I think, are going to be okay, but it seems like the Midwest and Texas and those areas are going to be potential tsunami.”
There is a feeling the White House is bracing for a loss in both chambers, according to a former Trump campaign official. “It’s not a great feeling in the White House that this is happening,” the former official said, who contends Trump is frustrated he’s going to deep red areas.
But Trump has expressed confidence about the midterms.
Republicans “…are on offense in plenty of places where the narrative and the dems and these quote unquote republican strategists" would contend republicans are on the defense “and it’s false,” an RNC official said.
In the homestretch, the strategy appears to generally stay the course.
“In the home stretch to the most consequential midterm election, Republicans' strategy remains the same: expose Democrats' far-left agenda, flood the zone with resources, barnstorm the country, and drive our voters to the polls to defy midterm history,” stated RNC National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre.
The outcome of the election could have a direct impact on the success or lack thereof of the President’s agenda.
Trump has suggested that if Republicans do not maintain control of both chambers of Congress, he would rely on veto power.
“If there was, as you call it, gridlock, what happens is I veto everything and then the Democrats come and they want to make a deal. So, we'll work with them,” Trump said.
A former campaign official also pointed to the use of executive orders and interagency action.
“They’ve done it before and it’s not gonna be a fun experience again,” said the former campaign official.
The legislative affairs team “is probably planning for all scenarios with the expectation that we’re going to win both the House and the Senate back,” said a White House official.
