President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to the media on the day of a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
President Donald Trump and his many outbursts are becoming perhaps the biggest political liability for Republicans as the midterms approach, with one ex-RNC chief writing for The Hill that the party's best hope to survive would be for him to pipe down and get away from cameras.
A veteran of the Reagan administration, Kevin Igoe previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Republican National Committee, as well as an executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. In a new op-ed for The Hill published on Wednesday, he admitted that "Republicans are in serious trouble" right now, and argued that the "one constant in this worsening picture is President Trump’s dominance of the Republican messaging machine."
"I know my MAGA diehard friends are going to say that Trump is the best messenger ever," Igoe wrote. "That is true — if you are willing to settle for 33 percent of the electorate. If you actually want to win an election that is a referendum on Trump’s presidency, I suggest you get him off camera and take his phone away."
He added: "Trump’s incessant comments about issues voters do not care about [are] an anchor around the neck of Republicans running in anything resembling a competitive district or state. Webster’s could define whiplash as an injury inflicted on anyone who attempts to follow Trump’s weekly policy reversals."
Igoe further implored Republicans, including those in the MAGA sphere, to admit that "Trump’s gut does not rule the world." The president, he argued, "has reverted to his days as a developer," becoming obsessed with construction and renovation projects wherein "progress is defined as moving dirt." Meanwhile, voters' ideas about progress are defined by their ability to afford their lives week after week, something Trump has repeatedly brushed off as a non-issue.
"Please recall these Trumpisms," Igoe wrote. First, President Trump has dismissed affordability issues as a 'hoax' perpetrated by Democrats and said, 'this is the golden age of America.' He said the USS Lincoln was not deployed long enough in spite of documented supply and morale problems on board. He said Iran no longer had 'any spotters,' 'anti-aircraft' or “'radar' — until they shot down two American jets two days later. He then unilaterally claimed the Strait of Hormuz as 'American territory.'"
He concluded: "My prescription to help Republicans salvage at least a tie in the Senate in the upcoming midterms is for President Trump to sit down, talk a lot less and stay off camera. You and I both know that is never going to happen — not now, and not in 2028. As we approach 2028, that will be a problem for Vice President JD Vance. At least now, he will not be surprised by what is to come."
