Veteran GOP strategist Karl Rove has warned that President Donald Trump's “erratic” approach to the Iran war and his dismissive attitude towards economic hardship are harming Republican prospects in the upcoming midterm elections. In a Wall Street Journal column, Rove argued that redistricting alone will not save the party, with Democrats poised to reclaim the House in November.
Rove cited polling showing Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by 11 points, and Trump's approval rating at just 39 per cent according to RealClearPolitics. He noted that the conflict in Iran is deeply unpopular, with 64 per cent of respondents in a Siena College survey saying Trump made the wrong decision to go to war.
The former George W. Bush adviser criticised Trump's “erratic late-night missives,” saying the president “comes across more as a heckler at a UFC match than as a reassuring wartime commander in chief”. Rove also highlighted the president's push for $1 billion in security funding for a new White House ballroom, calling it an unhelpful distraction that “won't convert voters”.
Rove further condemned Trump for downplaying soaring petrol prices caused by the war, quoting the president as saying: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.” He urged Republicans facing re-election to break with Trump on the campaign trail, allowing candidates to “put forth their own ideas for lowering costs, cutting waste or reducing regulation, without waiting for presidential permission”.
