Trump’s midterm rescue mission is already going down in flames

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he holds a press conference at the end of his participation in the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

President Donald Trump said he would travel to the states in the closest races in the final weeks before the midterms, but his early travel plans suggest otherwise.

On Friday, Republican governor nominee Bruce Blakeman will hold a campaign visit in Syracuse, New York, meaning another city has been added to the list of places not aligned with the president's decision to focus on the country's most competitive races.

Aaron Blake, a senior reporter at CNN, pointed out this inconsistency in a tweet on X.

As Blake wrote on X, “Trump last month spoke repeatedly about how he was going to all 35 of the most competitive races and how he wouldn't have time for less-competitive races. Since then, he's gone to Alabama and Oklahoma, and is now going to New York for a candidate trailing by double-digits.”

“It’s all about 35 races,” Trump said at a recent White House dinner with Republican lawmakers. He later vowed, “I’m going to go to every one of those 35 places.”

New York’s governor’s race certainly doesn’t fit Trump’s initial plans as the numbers suggest.

A poll released by the Marist organization on Wednesday showed that Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul was ahead of Blakeman, with 53 percent of registered voters supporting her as against 42 percent supporting him. The same survey indicated that Trump was very unpopular in the state, with 38 percent of people saying they approved of the way he was doing his job and 60 percent disapproving.

Republicans down the ballot don’t appear to stand much of a chance either, as 44 percent of New York voters told Marist their congressional vote would mainly be a vote against Trump, compared with 22 percent who said it would mainly be a vote for him.

Syracuse is strategically important. According to the Marist poll, Blakeman has led Hochul in the upstate area, and New York has a number of House districts that could help determine control of Congress. Trump's appearance might serve to energize Republican voters.

Republicans made the same argument about their first rallies in October. Party officials said the rally in Oklahoma could reach voters in neighboring Texas via the Dallas-Fort Worth media market, just as Mobile, Alabama, is near the Florida Panhandle.

However, the new travel schedule differs from the one Trump originally promoted.

As Election Day approaches and Republicans face a tough legislative map, the president has chosen to focus on races where he is most needed. After three visits as part of this effort, he is now spending time in two solidly Republican states and trying to help a candidate in New York who is 11 points behind.

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