Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low—and the ripple effects could reshape the entire midterm map.
Talking Point Memo’s Josh Marshall & Molly Jong-Fast , break down new Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Donald Trump dropping from 35% to 33%, described as the lowest of his presidency and potentially unprecedented for a modern president heading into a midterm. They discuss why much of the political “insider” world may be underestimating just how rough the environment looks for Republicans, even as Democrats continue to struggle with their own brand problems.
The discussion then zooms into the Senate battlefield: Texas, Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, and North Carolina. With Democrats needing to win five of seven, the episode explores which races look plausible, which are still major question marks, and why certain Democratic candidates (and campaign styles) may fit their states better than the national party image.
The episode also digs into broader forces driving voter anger—especially economic frustration and a sense that “there are no rules anymore”—and why Trump is being blamed for more of it than many expected. The panel contrasts the D.C./New York political bubble with the mood in the rest of the country, and closes with a blunt assessment: sometimes campaigns don’t have good options, and Trump appears to be leaning into the very image that’s dragging him down.
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Watching from outside the US it seems that the Democrats have approached running for office as if it’s all about playing a good game, whereas the Republicans approached running for office as if it’s all about winning no matter what.
don-OLD doesn't care what ANYONE thinks about the terrible job that he is doing because he is preoccupied by his girlfriend, Natalie, who is doing everything possible to convince don-OLD that his being eighty years old, bruised, bloated, and diaper clad, does not bother her!
As long as his money keeps her motivated 🤑❗
You can't ever get below thirty to thirty two percent. That's the cult. Those are the brainwashed fanatics, it doesn't get any lower than that for approval
I wonder if, when Paxton got into the race, he was planning on running against Jasmine Crockett in the fall and just relying on good old-fashioned Texan racism and misogyny to carry him through to the Senate.
There has been a fake polling data that has not been identified as a real election polling data centre that does not exist that has been releasing fake polling data and has been used by many reliable sources to show the polling numbers. But the data has been manipulated to show the actual polling numbers as not being true or even done. The numbers have been made up by a few people who actually didn’t conduct polling surveys themselves . So be sceptical about the polls and vote no matter what the polls say and make sure that you vote no matter what you do.
Always love hearing from Josh Marshall. Thanks for the discussion!
Dems are going to take House and Senate. It's going to be brutal for Republicans.
It’s not that complicated. The fix is in for Paxton.
I’m ready to vote now ! I’m in Michigan and people and reporters think Abdul can’t win he will win 💙💙🇺🇸Mike Rogers isn’t gonna win! Vote blue
When in power, the democrats are timid, because their big donors like the same things as republican big donors. It’s only when democrats dump the party leadership, and listen to the masses that we will maybe see change. I for one am tired of empty promises.
it's not antisemitism , it's antizionism ,hello
trump doesnt care about the price of anything or the suffering of the people, he cares about the release of epstein news,,,,,,,its working
the repubs know what a disaster it could be and they do not care……thats the scary part, why dont they care
He does a fairly good Charlie Sykes impression.
"it's"? You need a more literate editor; for a split second I thought a MAGA video had infiltrated my YT recommendations.
Roy Cooper won every NC statewide election he ran in, even after MAGA took control of the state. I’d be shocked if he lost.
I have voted democrat since 2020, for 40 yrs prior I always voted republican. The Republican Party is the default party in America, the reason why is because of religion. I have heard it said over and over again, in churches, that you can’t be a democrat and a Christian. When people don’t know which way to vote, they vote Republican as default. Overcome the stigma of Democrats are anti Christian.
13:21 Yeah, because "Jews against Genocide" is a real sign of that. I love american doublethink, I really do, it's one of the main reasons no one takes them seriously anymore (apart from the kids, go kids; come and join us one day in the sunlit uplands of reality).
Not many realize this but Jamie Davis is going to win in Louisiana.
Don’t we know as of today though to question polling? I hope Texas polls are reflecting a promising trend tho.
Don't forget Kansas. There's a good chance that Adam Hamilton will overtake Roger Marshall.
I heard KIM is blackmailing him as he’s tight with Putin 🤷♀️
What you forget to look at is how Trump got the backing and support to be, and then stay as, president. The failed impeachments, the ability to fire competent people and replace them with sycophants, the inability of congress to manage people like Hegseth or the running of DOGE, the corruptive replacement of Air Force One gift, the failure to counter the influence of people like Bannon and the impact of biased FOX news coverage, and much more. How can someone with no record of public service end up as president? Trump is the symptom, what is the cause?