President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that he’s going to spend more than $400 million by Election Day to support the Republican Party in what he called the “most important midterm elections in our country’s history.”
Polling predicts that Democrats will take the House and are leading in key races for other offices, such as U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina, and the governor’s race in Ohio.
“It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion,” Trump said of his pledge in a Truth Social post. He said that more than $300 million of it has already been spent on advertising, rallies, and voter outreach efforts.
Trump said he’s making the donations because of his “belief in the Republican Party, and all of our Policies and Principles, and especially after witnessing what is taking place in France, and other locations throughout Europe.” He was referring to ongoing riots in Paris and other cities that Trump has said were a consequence of mass migration.
Mike Ambrosini, chief of staff at the Republican National Committee (RNC), posted on X on Oct. 20 that it has spent millions on the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Through early October, Ambrosini said, the RNC has spent $50 million on “direct coordinated spend,” $56 million on “ground game & turnout,” $27 million on election integrity, and $18 million on data and targeting.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll reported on Oct. 19 found that Trump’s approval rating fell to a record low, with 31 percent of Americans approving of Trump’s performance. That was down a single percentage point from two weeks earlier. The 31 percent approval was the lowest level of support for Trump in either of his terms, the four-day poll showed.
The poll also showed that prospective voters were favoring the Democratic Party during the midterms. When asked which party they would vote for if the congressional elections were held today, 47 percent of the registered voters picked Democrats, and 35 percent chose Republicans. That 12-point gap was the widest during the current election cycle.
Trump has repeatedly stated while campaigning that if the Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House and Senate after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, he would cut a $5,000 check to every adult U.S. citizen.
Trump has held rallies recently across the country and said in a video on Truth Social that he wanted voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”
“Whenever I’m on the ballot, we get 45 percent more votes,” Trump said in the video. “So I’m not on the ballot, but pretend I am because this is a big deal.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned colleagues that Republican campaign spending could overcome what he described as Democratic advantages in candidates, policies, and the political climate ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
In a letter to fellow Democrats on Oct. 12, Schumer said that voter dissatisfaction with Trump and Republicans has created opportunities for Democrats to win control of the U.S. Senate.
But he said Republicans benefit from wealthy donors seeking influence over government decisions, and he criticized Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance.
In the U.S. House, there are 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with one independent and two vacant seats. In March, Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) left the Republican Party and became an independent.
In the U.S. Senate, there are 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Angus King (I-Maine) both caucus with the Democrats.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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