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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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People aligned with the Democrats have mockingly praised a new Republican strategy to put President Donald Trump on the campaign trail ahead of the midterm elections.
Writing on X, Democrats reacted to a The Mom View podcast interview in which White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said that, instead of focusing on local issues, the GOP will put Trump "on the ballot" to encourage voter turnout.
"He’s going to have a fun next year, but we’re going to put him on the campaign trail, too," she said.
Read More on Politics
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The Republican Party recently performed poorly in a series of elections on November 4, including in the New York City mayoral election, in which Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The party will be looking to learn from their mistakes and perform better in future elections.
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This is not least because Republicans have a slim majority of 219 to 214 in the House of Representatives and hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Losing just a few seats in the midterms could make it difficult for the GOP to carry out its agenda during the rest of Trump's term.
Traditionally, the party that does not hold the White House tends to do better in midterm elections. In 2018, Republicans lost the House and the Democrats gained 41 seats.
What To Know
Susie Wiles said on The Mom View that Trump was a "difference maker" in elections, and the Republican losses on November 4 were down to him not being on the ballot. Because of this the Republican Party was going to turn conventional wisdom—that government officials should be kept out of midterm elections—on its head, she added.
In response, X user Grant Gregory wrote: "As I Dem I couldn’t encourage this more! Get him out there! Get him on TV! Make the midterms about him. That would be fantastic."
Izzy Gordon, California Governor Gavin Newsom's direct of communications wrote: "A gift to Democrats. PLEASE, SUSIE, GET TRUMP EVERYWHERE!!!!"
Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America and a former adviser to Barack Obama, wrote: "please."
California Democrat Ted Lieu wrote: "THANK YOU for rerunning your 2017-18 strategy of putting Trump on the ballot!! Trump is old and weak, but please make him visit every swing district."
It comes as Trump has been hit with negative polling. A recent poll by The Economist/YouGov found Trump’s approval rating at its lowest level since he returned to office in January, with 39 percent approving of the job he is doing and 58 percent disapproving, a net approval rating of -19 points. Nevertheless, Trump has claimed he is popular and that polls like these are "fake."
What People Are Saying
Susie Wiles said on The Mom View: "Typically, in the midterms, it's not about who's sitting at the White House. You localize the election and you keep the federal officials out of it. We're actually going to turn that on its head and put him on the ballot. Because so many of those low propensity voters are Trump voters. And we saw a week ago Tuesday what happens when he’s not on the ballot and not active."
She added: "He's going to campaign like it's 2024 again…He's a difference maker and he's certainly a turnout machine."
Calvin Jillson, a politics professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas told Newsweek: "Susie Wiles, of course, knows that midterm elections are regularly described as a referendum on the incumbent president; they are not run, as she suggests, on local issues. Moreover, recent polling suggests that Democrats are looking forward to 2026 with enthusiasm, focused on the theme of ‘affordability,’ while Republicans listen nervously as President Trump derides affordability concerns as a hoax. So, a new White House strategy certainly was needed."
"Wiles is likely right that putting Trump back out on the campaign trial will energize low propensity Republican voters; but it will also further energize Democrat voters and probably not change the overall trajectory of the election."
What Happens Next
The midterm elections take place in November 2026.
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