Republicans implored President Donald Trump to focus on the lead-up to this year’s midterm elections instead of relitigating the 2020 election during his primetime speech Thursday night.
Trump’s speech is expected to focus on election integrity and reveal declassified findings that the White House says show foreign interference in the 2020 election.
“I think we should talk about 2026 and not 2020,” said outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who has stepped up criticisms of Trump since losing his primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
Republicans are in a tough fight to maintain control of the House and Senate after the midterm elections. But high gas prices stemming from the Iran war have hampered their ability to message on legislation such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which they claim benefits the public. Trump’s sinking approval numbers have also raised fears that he could drag down vulnerable Republicans across the country.
A speech from Trump that focuses on relitigating the 2020 election in Georgia, where Republican candidates lost to Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, or on Trump’s election defeat to former President Joe Biden, may not play well with an electorate more concerned with high grocery and gas prices.
“I’d like him to talk about, hopefully, his thoughts on Iran,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). “I mean, talk about the issues people care about. People care about affordability.… They want to know what’s going on with the Iran conflict. They want to know what’s going on with housing.”
“Most elections are based on the individuals themselves and how they treat the issues in front of us: affordability, talking about things we want to get done, Social Security, Social Security reform, making it alive and well,” added Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD). “You know, 25 years, 30 years from now, those are important items right now, and those are the items we’re going to focus on.”
Several Republicans simply claimed they had no idea what Trump’s speech would be about, dodging uncomfortable questions from reporters.
“We’ll all hear it together,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY). “I have no idea what he’s going to talk about.”
“I don’t have any details, but I think people should tune in because it’s very important,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
Some Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, pivoted to focusing on what the administration has done to benefit the American public in defending Trump’s speech.
“We can do a lot,” Vance told reporters on Wednesday when asked about Trump’s speech. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We’re doing so many things. We got the One Big Beautiful Bill passed that cut taxes on Social Security, cut taxes on tips, cut taxes on overtime, delivered thousands of additional dollars into the pockets of the average American family. We’re very proud of that.”
Democrats, however, are using the speech to blast Trump’s repeated concerns about an election that happened roughly six years ago.
Warnock told the Washington Examiner that Trump “doesn’t seem to remember that I won two elections in Georgia … including the one against his hand-picked candidate.”
The Georgia senator also added that he has “been talking to folks about this” when asked if he was planning any public messaging ahead of Trump’s speech. “I’m focused on the people of Georgia. I wish he were,” Warnock also said.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) claimed the president’s speech “is just part and parcel of a playbook that he’s using to try and manipulate the outcome of the elections.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) was more blunt in his comments about the president. “I don’t know what he’s going to make up tonight,” Raskin said. “It’ll be interesting to see, but we should view it as an exercise in political science fiction and not political science.”