Rex Huppke: Chaos? War? The GOP has no winning message for the midterms

As campaigning for the midterm elections ramps up, I’m curious what issues Republican candidates will run on. Because at the moment, their best and only platform appears to be: “Oops.”

The party of President Donald Trump has, in one quick year, left utter chaos in its wake, working hard to protect the wealthy while doing virtually nothing to improve the lives of regular American voters.

GOP lawmakers have shown slavish, often embarrassing fealty to their confused and intemperate leader, overseeing shocking domestic cruelty and violence stemming from overzealous mass deportation raids. U.S. citizens have been shot and killed by federal agents on the streets of major cities. Grocery prices remain painfully high, despite Trump’s promises to lower them on day one of his second term. Gas prices have spiked as Republicans stand idly by, letting the president launch an unprovoked invasion of Iran that has already left more than a dozen U.S. soldiers dead, cost billions of dollars and swiftly pushed the world to the brink of an energy crisis.

What’s the campaign message in all that? Maybe: “You bought it, we broke it.” Perhaps a simple “Sorry, we’ll try to do better” would win over a few humility enthusiasts.

Conservative lawmakers’ pathetic loyalty to Trump, as opposed to loyalty to the country, puts them in a box. They can’t run on anything that might make Dear Leader look bad. They can’t criticize his recklessness or stupidity. They have to remain in lockstep with the administration, and by doing so, they might as well stroll into the electoral ocean carrying a boulder, praying their lies have buoyancy.

Consider tariffs, one of Trump’s signature issues. For starters, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled most of the president’s tariff policies are unconstitutional, so now companies across the country are demanding refunds on the more than $160 billion they shelled out on the illegal levies.

Trump promised his tariffs would lead to a U.S. manufacturing boom, but 83,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during the president’s first year back in office.

Maybe Republican midterm candidates can pitch voters on, “Sorry you’re unemployed, but trust us – that jobs boom is coming!”

Americans don’t like tariffs, deportations, war or the economy. It’s all bad.

Add to that a recent Harris Poll that found 7 in 10 Americans blame Trump’s tariffs for higher prices and it’s clear that the topic is politically radioactive.

A promise of ruthless deportations was a primary Trump platform, with “Mass Deportation Now!” appearing on signs all over the last Republican National Convention. But the administration’s chaotic and inhumane implementation of that policy has cratered the president’s approval on the subject.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found 58% of Americans think Trump has gone too far with his deportation sweeps, and 62% oppose the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Trump’s approval on immigration in that same poll was only 40%, which is astonishing given its centrality to his political identity.

An NBC News poll released March 8 found 62% of registered voters don’t like how Trump has handled inflation and the cost of living, and nearly half of voters think the president’s policies have hurt the economy.

I could rattle off a slew of polls that show how deeply underwater Trump is on virtually every issue, but perhaps the most significant data point of late comes from a Marist University poll conducted earlier this month: Approval of how Trump is handling Iran among White men who don’t have a college degree is only 46%.

This further confirms a trend showing Republicans losing hold of a key part of their base.

Last month, CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten reported a 23-point drop in Trump’s approval among non-college-educated voters, from +14 to -9.

“He is absolutely collapsing with the group of voters that helped put him into the White House,” Enten said.

So I ask again, what is the message Republican candidates can use heading into the November elections? The ongoing Iran war is wildly unpopular, and the longer it drags on, the more likely we are to see additional U.S. casualties. And the war will also bring additional economic pain.

What can a candidate do with that? The images they have to contend with are Trump jetting off to his South Florida resort while American soldiers are fighting and dying overseas and Americans pumping gas at stations where prices have already jumped.

A smart Republican would run on a promise to rein in a president who is wreaking havoc. A smart Republican would recognize that Trump is unraveling as quickly as his public support and recognize the best bet is to stake out a position in a post-Trump world. A brave Republican would stand up for Americans, not bow down before a flailing figurehead.

But I don’t think there are many smart or brave Republicans running for office. So I guess they’d better take on the midterms with a simpler platform: “Oops.”

Follow USA Today columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk