US President Donald Trump has acknowledged the difficulty Republicans face in the upcoming midterm elections, noting that the party of an incumbent president traditionally struggles to retain seats in Congress.
Speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on Monday, November 2, Trump described the election as one of the most important midterms in American history.
He said Republicans could achieve a significant victory if a substantial proportion of his supporters turned out to vote, but acknowledged that the party faced a historical disadvantage.
“Usually, whoever the sitting president is, Republican or Democrat, good or bad, good president, great president, bad, for some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot,” Trump said.
He also described Democratic candidates contesting the elections as “the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history”.
President Attacks Democratic Candidates and Their Policies
Trump criticised the Democratic candidates, accusing them of supporting policies he said would affect immigration, taxation, energy production, gun ownership and transgender issues.
He claimed that some Democratic candidates on the ballot were jihadists or members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The president also accused Democrats of supporting open borders, higher taxes, restrictions on gun ownership, the abolition of oil and natural gas production and policies that would increase energy costs.
He further alleged that the party wanted to allow millions of migrants into the United States, hoping they would eventually be able to vote.
Trump described the candidates as being committed to what he called a radical political agenda.
Trump Highlights Economic Achievements During Second Term
During his address, Trump also promoted what he described as economic achievements under his administration.
He said personal incomes had reached their highest levels in history and claimed that the poverty rate was at a record low.
However, he warned supporters against allowing Democrats to win the elections, arguing that doing so would undermine the progress he said his administration had made.
Trump said Republicans needed strong support from people who had voted for him in the previous election.
Trump’s Approval Rating Remains Near Career Low
The president’s remarks came as a nationwide poll placed his approval rating at 32%, close to the lowest level recorded during his political career.
The figure was unchanged from the previous week and stood just above the 31% reading recorded two weeks earlier.
The polling also indicated that some voters viewed their midterm ballots as an opportunity to register opposition to Trump and the Republican administration.
Among registered independent voters, 50% said their vote in the congressional elections represented a vote against Trump. Only 13% said they considered it a vote in support of him, while 33% said the president was not a factor in their decision.
Democrats Lead Republicans in Nationwide Congressional Preference Poll
The same survey found that Democrats held a lead over Republicans in the nationwide generic congressional ballot.
Asked which party they preferred to control Congress, 46% of respondents selected Democrats, compared with 38% who chose Republicans.
The eight-percentage-point Democratic advantage was narrower than the 11-point lead recorded in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a week earlier.
The generic ballot measures voters’ overall preference for which party should control Congress. However, it does not account for the individual contests across states and congressional districts that determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Democratic Voters Report Greater Election Enthusiasm
The poll also found that Democratic voters reported higher levels of enthusiasm about participating in the midterm elections.
Approximately 49% of Democratic respondents said they were very enthusiastic about voting, compared with 33% of Republican respondents.
The difference in reported enthusiasm is among the findings being watched ahead of the elections, as both parties seek to mobilise their supporters.
Reuters/Ipsos Survey Details
The Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted online among 1,765 adults across the United States.
It reported a margin of error of two percentage points.
The findings showed Trump’s approval rating at 32%, a Democratic lead of eight percentage points on the generic congressional ballot and a higher reported level of voting enthusiasm among Democratic respondents.
