Trump becomes a problem for the Republicans and their candidates start to distance themselves

WASHINGTON. — Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who after nearly 12 years in office faces a major challenge in the November 3 elections to renew his mandate in a tight race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa, had the opportunity this week to appear alongside the top figure of his party at an event in San Antonio: one Donald Trump. However, the veteran leader and longtime ally of the president declined. "I had events scheduled for that day," Abbott explained, as he seeks to avoid becoming the face of a possible defeat in a key Republican stronghold on the national stage. Among political strategists, analysts, pollsters, and the party's own ranks, few believed his argument. President Donald Trump at a campaign event in San Antonio, Texas. WIN MCNAMEE - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA As the pivotal midterm elections approach — which could redefine the balance of power in the United States with decisive influence over the second half of Trump's term — more and more Republicans are distancing themselves from their leader in the final stretch of the campaign, in light of the low approval ratings of his administration and his image. "Trump's drop in popularity is striking, and this means that electoral contests in places where one would never expect a Republican to be vulnerable are, in fact, difficult for them. That's why we see leaders distancing themselves from him, even in states like Texas," Chris Edelson, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of two books on presidential power in the United States, told LA NACION. President Donald Trump hands an executive order back to his assistant Natalie Harp at a campaign event. WIN MCNAMEE - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA A recent analysis by the Reuters news agency revealed that two-thirds of Republican candidates — 41 of 62 — in competitive races for the House of Representatives (which will renew all 435 of its seats) and the Senate (35 of 100) have distanced themselves from Trump on policy issues or downplayed their ties to him. "For a long time, Republicans have backed the president through thick and thin. But those who are truly struggling at the ballot box need to differentiate themselves," said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist and founder of the Washington public affairs firm ROKK Solutions. This week, Republican Senator from Maine Susan Collins distanced herself from Trump during her first debate against Democrat Troy Jackson, explaining that she has maintained her political independence by repeatedly voting against the president's agenda, including on the tariff strategy, the enforcement of immigration laws, and the conflict with Iran. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is seeking reelection, in this week's debate with Democratic candidate Troy Jackson. Screenshot "I'm not exactly his favorite legislator. I've voted against my party more than any other senator, regardless of their political affiliation," said Collins, who is running for her sixth term. The Democrats, who will try to win back at least one of the two chambers of Congress in the elections, are seeking to take Maine's Senate seat from the Republicans in their effort to regain control of the Senate. The decision by several leaders to break with Trump at such an advanced stage of the electoral cycle underscores how much is at stake for Republicans, Bonjean noted. "They are doing everything they can to make voters understand that they are far more independent than simply voting with Trump or agreeing with him 100% of the time," he added. President Donald Trump at an event in Washington. Julia Demaree Nikhinson - AP According to the polling average compiled by The New York Times, 60% of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance since his return to the White House in January of last year, and only 37% approve of it. "Voters link price increases to the impact of the war in Iran [which caused a global rise in energy costs] and to the tariffs Trump launched. He is an unpopular figure, which has Republicans in a panic. That's why they are doing the only thing they know how to do: distancing themselves from him. But I doubt very much that it will work," said Edelson. An AP/NORC poll at the end of last month revealed that only 17% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living, while just 26% endorse his overall management of the economy. Rising fuel prices in the United States are one of the central themes of the campaign for the November 3 midterm elections. PATRICK T. FALLON - AFP Despite everything, Trump decided to dive headfirst into the electoral campaign to bolster Republican candidates with a frenetic 32-day tour featuring 36 events in 17 states. "My rallies are saving the Republican Party once again!" the president boasted this week. Last Wednesday, Republican Mike Rogers (Michigan), locked in one of the most hotly contested Senate races against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, called for an end to the tariff dispute between the United States and Canada, distancing himself from Trump for the second time in the middle of the campaign. Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed and his Republican rival Mike Rogers at the televised debate held in Grand Rapids. Paul Sancya - POOL AP Rogers, who had backed Trump's tariff policy, said in an ad that the dispute with the neighboring country — which borders Michigan — should end "right now" to ease the costs facing businesses and consumers. "Here, we know that Canada is not our enemy," he said. Asked about it in the Oval Office, Trump tried to downplay the ad and interpreted the message as an exhortation from the candidate for Canada to reach a "deal" with the United States. Rogers's complaint came just two weeks after he also changed his stance on the war with Iran, ongoing since the February 28 offensive against the regime, urging that it be ended as soon as possible to ease rising fuel and food prices, sensitive issues in the campaign. In a message on Thursday on his Truth Social platform, Trump acknowledged "productive conversations" with Iran and announced that American forces would not attack it "at any point before the midterm elections," in a clear attempt to calm the waters given the conflict's unpopularity in the United States (76% of the population believes it was not worth it, according to an SSRS poll for CNN). Secretary of War Pete Hegseth greets President Donald Trump in Sparrows Point, Maryland. WIN MCNAMEE - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA According to a leaked audio recording published by American media outlets, the Republican Senate candidate from Texas, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, told a group of donors and lobbyists last month that the war with Iran and high fuel prices are "weighing down" his campaign. "I don't make the decisions, and I don't know what's behind some of them," he said. Despite the revelation, Trump traveled to San Antonio and shared a campaign rally with Paxton, who according to polls faces a very tight race against Democrat James Talarico in a state that Trump won by nearly 14 points in the 2024 elections and that has not elected a Democrat at the state level since 1994. President Donald Trump listens to Republican Senate candidate from Texas Ken Paxton at a rally in San Antonio. Eric Gay - AP Campaign strategist Sarah Longwell, a Trump critic, commented in an NPR report that the Republican bloc is beginning to recognize that the magnate "no longer has the strength he used to have," and that as more citizens show their discontent with the presidential administration, legislators feel more comfortable confronting him on priority issues. In Iowa, a Republican-dominated state that is one of the largest agricultural engines in the United States due to its soybean and corn production, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who is now running for a Senate seat, unveiled her own "affordability agenda" and also distanced herself from Trump on one of the key themes of the campaign nationwide. "Iowans are paying the price for Washington's failures and deserve real relief that actually lowers costs," said Hinson, who even went a step further in the electoral debate she held this week with Democratic hopeful Josh Turek. "I will be the president's ally when it matters for Iowa, but I will oppose him — and he knows it, because I talk to him regularly — on issues that hurt our state," she said. In the state of Florida, which has become a center of Trump's power, with his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach as its nucleus, Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar caused an unexpected party tremor last month with a campaign ad in which she hit the magnate where it hurts him most: his immigration crackdown. "Mr. President, your immigration policies have gone too far," the longtime ally of the magnate, of Cuban origin, told him in a 30-second video recorded in front of the White House. "Be careful with what your advisers tell you. The same Hispanics who took you to the White House in 2024 today feel betrayed," warned the congresswoman from the 27th District, which covers Miami-Dade County, who is seeking reelection. Furious, Trump escalated his criticism of Salazar in a series of posts in which he went so far as to call for her "replacement" ahead of the November 3 elections. "She is nothing but a traitor," a user wrote in a post shared by the president. Despite the signs of distrust within his own ranks, the president still maintains in public that his figure is a key asset for boosting Republican candidates. However, the unprecedented midterm party convention last month in Dallas — the so-called "Trump-a-palooza," featuring lengthy speeches by the president — appears to have backfired. President Donald Trump at a campaign event in San Antonio, Texas. WIN MCNAMEE - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA According to polls, the generic ballot, a key indicator for the elections, shifted in favor of the Democrats "almost at that very moment," CNN noted. "The Democrats' rise in the polls, which began in early September, has not stopped yet. As of today, they hold a 8.9-point lead in the generic ballot for Congress: this is their highest level in this electoral cycle," Nate Silver, recognized as an electoral guru in the United States, noted on his site. Donald TrumpWashingtonUnited States