Pollster Mark Penn said on Wednesday that President Trump has “nationalized” the midterm elections, making them more about him by inserting himself into the campaign.
“I think Trump has come forward and said ‘hey, let’s nationalize it. Let’s make it about me. That’s a losing proposition when you’re at 45 or so percent,” Penn, co-director of the Harris Poll, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
Trump has hit the campaign trail frequently in recent months, stumping for GOP candidates in an effort to rally the Republican base.
However, the president’s approval rating remains underwater going into the midterms, which are widely expected to be a referendum on his first two years in office.
While Trump enjoys high approval ratings among Republicans, multiple polls show that his approval rating still sits in the forties ahead of the midterms.
Trump said in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday that it would not be his fault if Republicans lose their majority in the House in November because he believes he has been helping GOP candidates.
“I don’t believe anybody has ever had this kind of impact,” he said, adding that he thinks the GOP is “going to do well” this November.
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