Trump says voters are angry at Republicans but not at him ahead of midterms
President Donald Trump told Punchbowl News he expects midterm losses but insists voter frustration is not directed at him.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Trump says voters are angry at Republicans but not at him ahead of midterms
Photograph: HuffPost (embedded from source)
What this story says
- President Donald Trump told Punchbowl News voters are angry at Republicans but not at him, despite his party trailing Democrats by 8 points in polls.
- Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., holds $400 million but has not yet spent to support Republican candidates in the midterms.
- Trump has lost 21 consecutive court battles in his effort to obtain state voter rolls, as reported by HuffPost.
- No right-rated outlet among the 15 that ran the story published a report on Trump’s remarks.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 15 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 16 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
62/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
15/100
16 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 15 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.
President Donald Trump said voters are frustrated with Republicans but not with him, in an interview with Punchbowl News released on 7 August 2026. Trump acknowledged that Republicans could face losses in the November midterms, citing historical trends where the party in power often struggles in midterm elections. He said voters are "angry at Republicans" but repeatedly insisted, "They’re not angry at me."
Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., has $400 million available for the midterms, but it remains unclear how much will be spent or when. Trump said he controls the fund and can direct its use as he sees fit. He has also lost 21 consecutive court battles in his attempts to obtain state voter rolls, according to HuffPost. A CNN poll conducted in July 2026 found Republicans trailing Democrats by 8 points among registered voters.
Trump distanced himself from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, declining to support his leadership bid, while praising House Speaker Mike Johnson. He also questioned whether his supporters would turn out for Republican candidates if he were not on the ballot.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet among the 15 that ran the story published a report on Trump’s remarks. None of the left-rated digests mentioned the $400 million war chest of MAGA Inc. None of the centre-rated digests reported Trump’s 21 consecutive court losses over state voter rolls.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 7 Aug 2026, 17:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
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
7 rated outlets
- The seven left-rated reports led on Trump’s insistence that voters are not angry at him, despite the Republican Party’s polling deficit. HuffPost’s full report quoted Trump saying, "They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me," and noted his 21 consecutive court losses over voter rolls. Alternet and Raw Story framed the story as Trump shifting blame away from himself, while The New Republic’s digest said he "seems to be totally fine with" Republicans struggling in the midterms.
- HuffPost and The Independent (US) both highlighted Trump’s refusal to take responsibility for the party’s challenges, with HuffPost quoting his remark that "even good presidents tend to lose the midterms." The Independent’s digest said Trump "had no idea why" voters were angry at Republicans. None of the left-rated digests mentioned the $400 million war chest of MAGA Inc.
Centre
8 rated outlets
- The eight centre-rated reports focused on Trump’s remarks about voter frustration and the CNN poll showing Republicans trailing Democrats by 8 points. KIFI’s full report quoted Trump saying, "They’re not angry at me, but they are angry at Republicans," and noted the $400 million in MAGA Inc.’s war chest. It also included Trump’s refusal to support John Thune’s leadership bid and his praise for Mike Johnson.
- The digests from KRDO, KVIA, KEYT, KMIZ, KESQ, and kioncentralcoast.com all led with Trump’s distancing of himself from voter frustration, quoting his line that voters are "not angry at me." None of the centre-rated digests mentioned Trump’s 21 court losses over voter rolls. Political Wire’s digest summarised the story as Trump saying voters are "mad at other Republicans, not him."
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.
Read it at the source
16 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
7- Trump Already Blaming Anyone But Himself For Possible Midterms Wipeout (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- Trump says voters are angry with Republicans – but not him – as midterms near (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens CNN in a new tab)
- Trump says voters are angry with Republicans – but not him – as midterms near (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump knows exactly who the voters are mad at — and it’s not him (opens Alternet in a new tab)
Alternet — is Alternet biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- 'They're not angry with me': Trump blames Republicans for GOP voter woes (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Trump May Not Help Struggling Republicans in the Midterms (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
8- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens kioncentralcoast.com in a new tab)
kioncentralcoast.com — is kioncentralcoast.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KESQ in a new tab)
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KMIZ in a new tab)
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KEYT in a new tab)
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KVIA in a new tab)
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KRDO in a new tab)
- Trump distances himself from voter frustration with GOP: ‘They’re not angry at me’ (opens KIFI in a new tab)
- Trump Says Voters Are Mad at Other Republicans, Not Him (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
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