President Donald Trump in Suffern, New York, May 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Donald Trump and the Republican Party are engaged in "political malpractice on an epic scale," according to one conservative commentator, who torched the president for saddling GOP candidates with his toxic baggage at the worst possible time.
Charlie Sykes is a veteran conservative commentator and journalist, who has emerged in the last decade as a vocal opponent of Trump and his MAGA agenda. He appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the "Fast Politics" podcast with host Molly Jong-Fast, where, among other topics, they discussed Trump's unprecedented decision to force the GOP into holding a midterm convention, a practice traditionally reserved for presidential election years.
As the event approaches, reports have emerged that GOP lawmakers and candidates have grown frustrated with the convention, criticizing it as a waste of valuable resources ahead of a crucial election and for making Trump the center of attention at a time when voters are growing increasingly sick of his leadership. They have also scoffed at the high price tag being demanded for attendance, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
Amid reports citing anonymous Republicans venting their frustrations about the convention, RNC officials have begun warning candidates that they risk losing support if they do not attend.
"So this is the reporting today from Politico where the RNC issued a warning," Jong-Fast shared. "If members choose to keep an arm's length from the president, they risk alienating their base, and they risk alienating 15 to 20 percent of key Republican voters not turning out because they don't feel like they're a good supporter of the president's policies. RNC spokeswoman said that."
Sykes, in response, did not mince words about this strategy.
"Well, I mean, this is political malpractice on an epic scale, because normally if you're, you know, a swing-seat Republican, what you're trying to do is make this anything other than a referendum on Donald Trump," he said. "If you make it a referendum on Donald Trump, you are in you're in deep s——. And so what is the message coming from the White House? It's got to be all about me. And next week they're having that midterm convention, that's going to be a s——show for the ages."
He added: "And so at the very moment when Republican candidates would like to be back in their districts or their states where they would like to be, you know, putting a little bit of daylight between themselves and [the president], Donald Trump, again, less than 60 days before the midterm says, 'No, it's all about me because he believes that he's really on the ballot, and and he's making the RNC hammer that message home."