GOP braces for midterms wipeout as Trump rants about Reflecting Pool algae?
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The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The long-awaited midterms are here.
Today, voters have a chance to sound off on whether they endorse the actions of President Trump and the Republican Party throughout his second term in office, or whether they would feel more comfortable handing the reins over to House and Senate Democrats, who will immediately launch investigations of the Trump family, Republican officials and top Republican donors like Elon Musk.
The campaigns are making their closing arguments, and here was what was on Trump’s mind as he made his final pitch to voters that they should stick by him, and not allow far-left Democrats to thwart his agenda.
Oh dear.
Look, I am glad that the president has finally gotten that Reflecting Pool algae under control, after a bungled attempt that involved a contractor who screwed it up. As a D.C. resident, I’m glad the fountains are working again, and that the presence of the National Guard is deterring crime. There’s a lot of positive things to say about Trump’s impact on the nation’s capital.
But Trump is not running to be mayor of the district of Columbia. He is president of the United States, and his Republican candidates are facing significant challenges in states where they should be comfortably ahead.
He needs to be laser focused on convincing voters in those states that they have to stick with the GOP, because the alternative is to embolden a rival party on the precipice of succumbing to socialism. He needs to explain that he’s wrapping up the war in Iran and working on those diesel prices. He needs to tout the successes of the administration on eliminating burdensome regulations and making government more efficient by reducing the size of the federal workforce. He can talk about what he’s done to curb illegal immigration, one of the major concerns of voters.
And perhaps most of all, he can remind the American people that the Democratic Party is going to wage war on wealth creation, on housing creation, on new construction, and on your bank account in the form of taxes and regulation. This is a party that is ready to massively expand the federal government by spending way more money on health care and education, which we all know will not actually make these services better.
Fixing the Reflecting Pool is not a major concern of voters in Michigan or Texas or Alaska. And that’s a problem.
Look, it’s too late to undo the costly Iran War, or make the DOGE initiative more successful, or address corruption charges by hiring more competent personnel. But it’s never too late to get the agenda back on track, or to point out the flaws on the other side. I don’t think D.C. park projects is accomplishing that task.
Now. we’ve all seen the polls, which are currently predicting a total GOP wipeout. If polls are accurate, the Republicans will lose control of the House and also the Senate, where they should have had a structural advantage. If Trump beats the polls again, we can finally consign this entire industry to the dustbin of history. But it’s worth noting that prediction markets also have the president’s party badly under-performing. Not a good sign.
It looks like it’s all going to come down to Maine, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska and possibly Iowa. If the Dems fail to defend their Michigan seat, then they would need to have an extremely good night everywhere else, which does not seem very likely to me. On the other hand, if the GOP loses Texas, a bloodbath is likely to ensue.
So that’s where things stand. The president still has much to accomplish in his second term, and so Americans need to decide if they want to see that happen or if they prefer the paralysis and infighting that is usually characteristic of divided government.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
Fixing the Reflecting Pool is not a major concern of voters in Michigan or Texas or Alaska. And that’s a problem
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Skip to content
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The long-awaited midterms are here.
Today, voters have a chance to sound off on whether they endorse the actions of President Trump and the Republican Party throughout his second term in office, or whether they would feel more comfortable handing the reins over to House and Senate Democrats, who will immediately launch investigations of the Trump family, Republican officials and top Republican donors like Elon Musk.
The campaigns are making their closing arguments, and here was what was on Trump’s mind as he made his final pitch to voters that they should stick by him, and not allow far-left Democrats to thwart his agenda.
Oh dear.
Look, I am glad that the president has finally gotten that Reflecting Pool algae under control, after a bungled attempt that involved a contractor who screwed it up. As a D.C. resident, I’m glad the fountains are working again, and that the presence of the National Guard is deterring crime. There’s a lot of positive things to say about Trump’s impact on the nation’s capital.
But Trump is not running to be mayor of the district of Columbia. He is president of the United States, and his Republican candidates are facing significant challenges in states where they should be comfortably ahead.
He needs to be laser focused on convincing voters in those states that they have to stick with the GOP, because the alternative is to embolden a rival party on the precipice of succumbing to socialism. He needs to explain that he’s wrapping up the war in Iran and working on those diesel prices. He needs to tout the successes of the administration on eliminating burdensome regulations and making government more efficient by reducing the size of the federal workforce. He can talk about what he’s done to curb illegal immigration, one of the major concerns of voters.
And perhaps most of all, he can remind the American people that the Democratic Party is going to wage war on wealth creation, on housing creation, on new construction, and on your bank account in the form of taxes and regulation. This is a party that is ready to massively expand the federal government by spending way more money on health care and education, which we all know will not actually make these services better.
Fixing the Reflecting Pool is not a major concern of voters in Michigan or Texas or Alaska. And that’s a problem.
Look, it’s too late to undo the costly Iran War, or make the DOGE initiative more successful, or address corruption charges by hiring more competent personnel. But it’s never too late to get the agenda back on track, or to point out the flaws on the other side. I don’t think D.C. park projects is accomplishing that task.
Now. we’ve all seen the polls, which are currently predicting a total GOP wipeout. If polls are accurate, the Republicans will lose control of the House and also the Senate, where they should have had a structural advantage. If Trump beats the polls again, we can finally consign this entire industry to the dustbin of history. But it’s worth noting that prediction markets also have the president’s party badly under-performing. Not a good sign.
It looks like it’s all going to come down to Maine, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska and possibly Iowa. If the Dems fail to defend their Michigan seat, then they would need to have an extremely good night everywhere else, which does not seem very likely to me. On the other hand, if the GOP loses Texas, a bloodbath is likely to ensue.
So that’s where things stand. The president still has much to accomplish in his second term, and so Americans need to decide if they want to see that happen or if they prefer the paralysis and infighting that is usually characteristic of divided government.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The long-awaited midterms are here.
Today, voters have a chance to sound off on whether they endorse the actions of President Trump and the Republican Party throughout his second term in office, or whether they would feel more comfortable handing the reins over to House and Senate Democrats, who will immediately launch investigations of the Trump family, Republican officials and top Republican donors like Elon Musk.
The campaigns are making their closing arguments, and here was what was on Trump’s mind as he made his final pitch to voters that they should stick by him, and not allow far-left Democrats to thwart his agenda.
Oh dear.
Look, I am glad that the president has finally gotten that Reflecting Pool algae under control, after a bungled attempt that involved a contractor who screwed it up. As a D.C. resident, I’m glad the fountains are working again, and that the presence of the National Guard is deterring crime. There’s a lot of positive things to say about Trump’s impact on the nation’s capital.
But Trump is not running to be mayor of the district of Columbia. He is president of the United States, and his Republican candidates are facing significant challenges in states where they should be comfortably ahead.
He needs to be laser focused on convincing voters in those states that they have to stick with the GOP, because the alternative is to embolden a rival party on the precipice of succumbing to socialism. He needs to explain that he’s wrapping up the war in Iran and working on those diesel prices. He needs to tout the successes of the administration on eliminating burdensome regulations and making government more efficient by reducing the size of the federal workforce. He can talk about what he’s done to curb illegal immigration, one of the major concerns of voters.
And perhaps most of all, he can remind the American people that the Democratic Party is going to wage war on wealth creation, on housing creation, on new construction, and on your bank account in the form of taxes and regulation. This is a party that is ready to massively expand the federal government by spending way more money on health care and education, which we all know will not actually make these services better.
Fixing the Reflecting Pool is not a major concern of voters in Michigan or Texas or Alaska. And that’s a problem.
Look, it’s too late to undo the costly Iran War, or make the DOGE initiative more successful, or address corruption charges by hiring more competent personnel. But it’s never too late to get the agenda back on track, or to point out the flaws on the other side. I don’t think D.C. park projects is accomplishing that task.
Now. we’ve all seen the polls, which are currently predicting a total GOP wipeout. If polls are accurate, the Republicans will lose control of the House and also the Senate, where they should have had a structural advantage. If Trump beats the polls again, we can finally consign this entire industry to the dustbin of history. But it’s worth noting that prediction markets also have the president’s party badly under-performing. Not a good sign.
It looks like it’s all going to come down to Maine, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska and possibly Iowa. If the Dems fail to defend their Michigan seat, then they would need to have an extremely good night everywhere else, which does not seem very likely to me. On the other hand, if the GOP loses Texas, a bloodbath is likely to ensue.
So that’s where things stand. The president still has much to accomplish in his second term, and so Americans need to decide if they want to see that happen or if they prefer the paralysis and infighting that is usually characteristic of divided government.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Fixing the Reflecting Pool is not a major concern of voters in Michigan or Texas or Alaska.
- And that’s a problem