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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has revealed the Republican Party is set to change its strategy for the 2026 midterm elections by putting President Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
Speaking on The Mom View podcast, Wiles said that while midterm elections were usually run on local issues without the influence of federal officials, 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.
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Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The GOP 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.
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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 handful of seats in the midterms could make it difficult for the GOP to carry out its agenda during the rest of Trump's term.
What To Know
Wiles said: "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."
"The midterms will be very important to us. He’ll work very hard to keep the majority in the Senate."
She also said the GOP would focus on "candidate recruitment" and fundraising ahead of the election.
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.
This election cycle is poised to be no different, according to polls. As per one poll by the Bullfinch Group, the majority of Americans would vote for Democrats over Republican candidates in the upcoming elections while the majority also disapprove of the president's job performance.
It found that 37 percent of people said they would vote for a Democratic candidate if the 2026 midterms were held today, while 32 percent said they would opt for the Republican candidate.
What People Are Saying
William Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri previously told Newsweek: "The prospects for a highly significant amount of positive change and a turnaround to occur, in the increasingly and consistent negative trend of disapproval ratings for both President Trump and by association, the GOP, is beginning to look at this point, more and more daunting. The outcome of the 2026 midterm elections, given this current negative trend in approval, may very well depend, ultimately, on the ability of President Trump and the GOP to be able to shift gears, change course, and develop and implement a political strategy reflecting a much more effective approach to both public policies and governing, that is more in tune with the voters."
President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in November: "So many Fake Polls are being shown by the Radical Left Media, all slanted heavily toward Democrats and Far Left Wingers…Fake News will never change, they are evil and corrupt but, as I look around my beautiful surroundings, I say to myself, 'Oh, look, I’m sitting in the Oval Office!'"
What Happens Next
The midterm elections take place in November 2026.
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