Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning with them
Some GOP candidates are privately expressing concern about the former president's popularity.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
President Donald Trump is trying to make the focus of the midterms about him - but some Republicans hope he stays away from tehir campaigns (Getty Images)
Photograph: The Independent (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Republicans in competitive districts have told Donald Trump's operation they do not want him campaigning in their races.
- This sentiment is particularly strong in districts Trump won by double digits in previous elections.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval at 33 percent, the lowest in that poll's history.
- Despite these requests, Trump has indicated he intends to be heavily involved in the final 30 days of the campaign.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
15/100
6 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Republicans in some of the most competitive districts have informed Donald Trump's political operation that they do not want him campaigning in their areas this autumn. This includes seats that Trump won by double-digit margins two years ago. Some Republican operatives involved in these discussions stated that candidates in battleground districts have directly relayed this message to Trump's team. Others indicated that leading Republican pollsters have advised vulnerable incumbents to limit or avoid mentioning the former president on the campaign trail.
These requests come as Trump's approval ratings have reached their lowest levels. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,167 adults placed his approval at 33 percent, the lowest in that poll's history and unchanged for three consecutive weeks. On the economy, 71 percent disapproved and 22 percent approved. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll conducted between August 21-26 recorded Trump's approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 64 percent. Internal party polling cited in one report shows Trump's approval among Republicans has fallen from 89 percent in April 2025 to 75 percent.
Despite these private concerns, Trump has stated his intention to be heavily involved in the final 30 days of the campaign. He mentioned plans to campaign in Alaska for Senator Dan Sullivan and in Texas to support Ken Paxton, both states Trump carried by approximately 14 points in 2024, where Republican incumbents are facing significant Democratic challenges. Trump's super PAC has a war chest of more than $400 million, which Republican campaigns need. This financial leverage may influence candidates who might otherwise distance themselves from the former president.
Divergent views on Trump's campaign impact
While some Republicans are signalling a desire for distance, others are publicly rejecting the premise that Trump is a negative influence. Representative Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Politico that based on their polling, the president is a "net positive in every district" and that he has encouraged Trump to hold more rallies. Natalie Baldassarre, the Republican National Committee's national press secretary, warned that members who keep Trump at arm's length risk "alienating their base" and losing key Republican voters. Representative Rob Bresnahan stated he would welcome a presidential visit to his Pennsylvania seat, which Trump carried by nearly nine points.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports or digests mention the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, which showed Trump's approval at 44 percent, an outlier against other recent surveys.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 5 Sept 2026, 01:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led on the fact that Republicans in competitive districts are telling Donald Trump's operation they do not want him campaigning in their races. These reports highlighted that this includes seats Trump won by double digits. They also featured Trump's low approval ratings, citing a Reuters/Ipsos poll at 33 percent and a University of Massachusetts Amherst poll at 32 percent approval. The left-rated reports noted that Trump has indicated he plans to be heavily involved in the final 30 days of the campaign, despite the requests for him to stay away. One report quoted a Republican operative telling Politico that candidates are "f***ed if you mention him too much, and you're also f***ed if you don't stay in his good graces."
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning…?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 100% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning… left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning… biased?
- Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning with them is one event reported by 6 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Republicans in competitive districts tell Trump to avoid campaigning…?
- 6 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why are some Republicans telling Donald Trump to stay away from their campaigns?
- Republicans in competitive districts have privately expressed to Donald Trump's political operation that they do not want him campaigning in their races. This is due to concerns about his popularity, as indicated by historically low approval ratings in recent polls.
- What are Donald Trump's current approval ratings?
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Donald Trump's approval at 33 percent, the lowest in that poll's history. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll recorded his approval at 32 percent against 64 percent disapproval.
- Does Donald Trump plan to campaign despite these requests?
- Yes, Donald Trump has indicated he intends to be heavily involved in the final 30 days of the campaign. He has mentioned specific states where he plans to campaign, including Alaska and Texas.
Read it at the source
6 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- Trump Is So Toxic That Republicans Are Telling Him To Stay Away From Them (opens Politicus USA in a new tab)
Politicus USA — is Politicus USA biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Republicans don’t want Trump with them on the campaign trail: “He cannot come” (opens LGBTQ Nation in a new tab)
LGBTQ Nation — is LGBTQ Nation biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘We've told them he cannot come’: Republicans grapple with how to handle Trump on the trail (opens Politico in a new tab)
- Some GOP Reps Tell Trump To Stay Out For Their Race (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Some Republicans want Trump to stay away from their midterm campaigns (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Some Republicans want Trump to stay away from their midterm campaigns (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
