Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said President Donald Trump’s job approval rating was “not good” leading into the midterm elections, noting that historically, that has proven to negatively affect how the sitting president’s party performs.
“Well, old thinking says that the president’s job approval rating is one of the best predictors of how his party is going to do in midterm elections,” York said on Fox Business’s Kudlow on Friday. “The president is slightly below 40% approval in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. That is not good.”
Despite Trump’s low approval ratings, the president said to “pretend I’m on the ballot,” encouraging voters to head to the polls as if he were the one up for reelection. York said nominees in highly competitive races may see that as a roadblock; however, Trump’s influence may still pull off some surprises.
“You would not think that lots and lots of candidates in sort of toss-up districts would want to have him around,” York said. “That’s the old thinking. I basically think that that’s correct. On the other hand, the president has been his best communicator, forever, and he tends to get a lot of attention and a lot of enthusiasm.”
TRUMP APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT FOR THIRD TIME OVER MAIL-IN BALLOT RESTRICTIONS
York said the Trump administration has succeeded in destroying, at least temporarily, Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. However, while the economic warfare, blockades, and bombing campaigns were “very, very powerful,” it’s still not clear whether Trump’s influence will be enough to carry Republicans over the finish line, York said. The midterm elections will affect Trump’s ability to continue his agenda, making him “metaphorically” on the ballot, but York noted it does not have the same impact.
“There’s a difference in being on the ballot and not being on the ballot, and the fact is that the president is not going to be on the ballot,” York said.