The GOP strategy: Ignore Trump

America, Actually with Astead Herndon

The episode examines how Republican candidates are navigating midterm elections amid growing voter dissatisfaction with Donald Trump's second term, particularly regarding the economy and the Iran war. Reporter

Key takeaways

• Vivek Ramaswamy is running for Ohio governor while deliberately avoiding mentions of Donald Trump in his campaign speeches and voter interactions.
• Republican voters in Parma, Ohio express frustration over high gas prices and the ongoing Iran war, though many still defend Trump's trade policies and Second Amendment stance.

Main topics

• GOP midterm strategy
• Ohio governor race

Notable quotes

When the going gets tough, the tough hide behind a telephone.

Conclusion

The episode demonstrates that Republican candidates are caught between a loyal but increasingly unpopular base

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Donald Trump's Republican Party is currently in chaos. The president is massively unpopular, prices are up everywhere, and few people support the Iran war. In fact, in the last couple weeks, it seems even Republican candidates are getting the message. Speaker 4 (0:16) Republican revolt. with just 47 days until the midterms. They Speaker 1 (0:19) have to find some way to get away from this president. Democrats are actually the favorite now to take back the United States Senate. With Speaker 6 (0:26) a growing number of Republicans now distancing themselves Speaker 2 (0:29) from his actions. Here's the thing. It's hard to even find Republicans on the campaign trail right now. And it's even harder to get them to talk about Donald Trump. Republicans aren't answering our calls and texts. But more importantly, They're also not answering their own voters. New reporting by Speaker 4 (0:48) MSNOW's Michael Schnell finds that when the going gets tough, the tough hide behind a telephone. Speaker 2 (0:53) They're skipping out on debates, not holding press conferences, avoiding town halls. Speaker 7 (0:59) And there are other avenues to do it than just going in to try to give the other side sound bites. I mean, they're doing this for the cameras. We all know it. It's Speaker 2 (1:06) honestly crazy. But there's at least one Republican right now who seems to be trying a different strategy. Speaker 5 (1:16) There will be a bright red Ramaswamy tsunami. Ladies and gentlemen, bring up the next governor of the state of Ohio, the fake Ramaswamy. Speaker 2 (1:26) Vivek Ramaswamy, the former businessman and presidential candidate who was most recently associated with Trump's efforts to gut the bureaucracy, is running for governor in Ohio. I Speaker 3 (1:37) love the energy in this room. If you take this out, 44 days from today, we're going to win this thing in a decisive victory. Who's ready for that? Speaker 2 (1:44) And if there's one thing Ramaswamy is best known for, it's probably his willingness to talk about anything and everything. Let's get this done. Speaker 2 (1:55) All summer long, Ramaswamy has kept up an unusually ambitious calendar full of fairs, rallies, and town halls. So a few weeks ago, we went to see one of the few Republicans who's actually stumping for votes. This week on America Actually, we're in Ohio. What is the GOP message for the midterms? And how are Republicans dealing with the elephant in the room? Trump 2.0 has flopped. Speaker 2 (2:30) When we got to Parma, a suburb just outside of Cleveland, it was pretty clear that the people at this event were overwhelmingly diehard Republicans, the type of people who usually never have a bad word to say about Donald Trump. So I wanted to know, is this still true, considering all of this? Can Speaker 1 (2:51) you tell me your name? Sue. Sue. Dave Carlson. Dave Carlson. Are y'all Cleveland, Parma? Yeah. Lifelong, we live in Euclid. Have y'all always been Republicans? I have. Yeah. One of the questions we're asking people is, what do they think the Republican message should be for the midterms? What should Republican candidates be saying to motivate people right now? I like low taxes and more jobs. Low taxes, more jobs. What do you say? Speaker 6 (3:17) I would say the same. Speaker 1 (3:19) Partly what we were talking to people about is how they're feeling about the second Trump administration. We asked somebody earlier, what would you rate Trump's second term from one to ten? Ten. Ten? Speaker 1 (3:33) Nine. Nine? Okay, that's pretty high. I mean, hey, we got a six earlier today because people were mentioning gas prices, things like the Iran war. I would love for you to say, like, those things don't seem to be bothering you all? Speaker 5 (3:44) I hate paying high gas prices, but the tradeoff for dealing with Iran, you know, there's seven presidents before Trump who swore that Iran is an enemy, we need to get rid of him, and nobody did anything until he did. It's bold. Speaker 1 (4:06) Thank you for hosting us in Parma today. Yes, glad you could make it. How enthusiastic would you say are Republicans for the upcoming votes? I Speaker 4 (4:17) think they're very enthusiastic. You Speaker 1 (4:19) see folks motivated. Speaker 4 (4:20) Yes, definitely, because it's all about lower taxes and our Second Amendment rights, and we're pro-life in Parma. And you might not know this, but Parma was the biggest city in Ohio that voted for President Trump. Speaker 1 (4:36) the biggest city in Ohio that voted for President Trump. That's a good fact to know. Three Speaker 4 (4:39) times. Three times. If you could rank Speaker 1 (4:41) the issues that you think matter most to you, what would they be? Speaker 4 (4:44) Well, the economy, for sure. Lower taxes. Something, you know, that's affordable for people. But people are concerned about their Second Amendment rights, too. Speaker 1 (4:54) That's a big issue also. Big issue, yes. Last question I have is, like, we have seen a lot of, at least numbers tell us, And it's come up as we've traveled. It says Trump has gotten a little more unpopular over