Republicans have found a way to deal with Trump's opponents. “It always works”

And while Trump has never been shy about blaming the opposition, especially his predecessors, his tendency to stray from the main message — to talk about a new White House ballroom, a reflecting pool or the construction of his “arch of triumph” — obscures the negative message that allies say the White House needs to sell before the fall.

— You tell people you voted for a tax cut and they say, “That's nice, that's good.” …But they didn't tell voters that, by the way, every Democrat in the House and Senate voted to increase your taxes,” explains Trump pollster John McLaughlin.

— You will see Republicans increasingly aggressive in emphasizing their differences with Democrats, whether on the implementation of the program workfare [system opieki społecznej, który wymaga od sprawnych fizycznie beneficjentów podjęcia pracy, udziału w szkoleniach zawodowych lub wykonywania prac społecznych w celu uzyskania świadczeń] this year, or fighting corruption in the food stamp program and other issues such as Medicaid, he adds.

This political offensive is a response to the party's increasingly worse popularity polls. GOP members of Congress are increasingly concerned about their prospects in the midterm elections. Maintaining control of the House of Representatives seems unlikely — even with redistricting changes in many Southern states following the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The Republicans' position in the Senate also appears precarious.

Everyone is quite realistic about the fact that maintaining control of the House of Representatives will be extremely difficult. With each day the war continues, with each day that gasoline prices fluctuate around $5, the chances of this happening are decreasing, and they are already very slim.

– says a POLITICO interlocutor associated with the White House.

That's why there are more and more voices calling for it step up the negative rhetoric, even at the expense of promoting some of the president's most important achievements. It's not a particularly new tactic — campaigns tend to turn negative as the election approaches — but calls for it are coming earlier in the election cycle, in large part because the war with Iran and oil prices make it difficult for the administration to paint an optimistic picture of the economy.

Many Republicans, including the president, hope for a quick end to the war and a drop in gasoline prices. But with no end in sight and the summer car travel season fast approaching, attention has turned to the other side.

You can start talking about that [Demokraci] they support open borders or higher taxes. Reminding people that there are consequences. Maybe you don't like what you have, but you hate what they do. Scare tactics always work. It works

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer tells POLITICO.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales says Trump will “continue to starkly contrast his common-sense agenda with radical Democrats in Congress,” pointing to Democrats' record on border security, the economy and crime and their opposition to the Big Beautiful Bill.

“Democrats' America-last policies nearly destroyed our country during the failed years of the Biden administration, and President Trump has reversed their failures and is working every day to lower costs for working families,” Wales explains.

There's no rush

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee (RNC) says the Republican Party has time to both talk about tax cuts and attack Democrats, and there is no urgent need to change course.

“Democrats aren't just opposing tax cuts for working families — they're doubling down on the same failed agenda that has led to record high gas prices, soaring inflation and fewer opportunities for American workers and small businesses,” says RNC spokeswoman Kiersten Pels.

“While President Trump is focused on cutting costs and strengthening the economy, Democrats are focusing on their crazy agenda of opposing President Trump, even if it means blocking aid for working families,” he adds.

— Part of the communications strategy that we, our side, need to improve is that we need to talk about how Democrats and [były prezydent Joe] Biden is responsible for the problems we inherited, emphasizes the Republican election strategist. — In 2012, you didn't hear of a Democrat or [Barack] Obama talked about the economy without mentioning George Bush 17 times. My advice on this is: “always attack”.

Some White House allies, after months of advocating for a stark contrast in messaging, say the administration has finally begun to change course. McLaughlin describes it as a fundamental — but “positive” — shift from the start of the year, toward issues such as welfare work requirements, fraud in the Medicaid and food stamp programs and Democratic opposition to tax cuts.

One Republican donor and fundraiser says the White House is “switching from trying to sell its achievements to arguing that Democrats are bad.” The change, this person said, shows how Trump's team is assessing the situation ahead of the midterm elections. And that's a bad sign for Republicans “because when you turn to negative rhetoric, that means you're losing.”

NRCC [Narodowy Republikański Komitet Kongresowy] refutes this criticism, arguing that he has long been attacking Democrats, but people also want to hear a positive economic message. Last month, on tax day, it launched a paid ad campaign targeting 28 House Democrats for voting against the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

— The NRCC makes decisions based on data and polls, not gut feeling, so we don't pay attention to rumors. “The NRCC is working closely with the White House and our battle-tested Republican candidates to target endangered House Democrats for supporting the largest tax increase since World War II, increasing taxes at every income level, maintaining full taxation on tips, and eliminating the child tax credit,” says NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella.

But not everyone is convinced that the change in the White House's message is happening quickly enough — or that the president has the discipline to implement it. During Monday's speech, which was ostensibly about small businesses, the president talked at length about how well he performed on multiple cognitive tests and about the ongoing work to paint the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Republicans expect “constant messaging about small economic gains,” not the president's arguments, argues one Republican Party strategist in an interview with POLITICO.

— When you're in the minority, throwing bombs works. But not when you are in power, he concludes.