Republicans Snub Trump's Midterm Convention Amid Low Turnout

House Republicans returning from district meetings say affordability is the top constituent concern — and that Trump's public denial of the problem is making their position harder.

• Long-term interest rates are at their highest level since the Bush administration.
• Trump's economic approval rating has been at historic lows for several weeks.
• Trump called affordability concerns a Democratic 'hoax' and declared the problem solved.
• Rep. Lauren Boebert said ranchers in her Colorado district are angry at the president.

Why it matters: Republican members of Congress say the gap between Trump's messaging and constituents' daily experience is a concrete electoral risk.

• Freedom Caucus vice chairman Rep. Ralph Norman said of Trump's denial: 'I think he knows different' — and warned the White House will 'find out' if it keeps ignoring the issue.
• Rep. Bruce Westerman said the Iran war has worsened the affordability problem by driving up oil prices.

How 12 sources split on this story

Where they split: Whether Trump's messaging is the core liability or whether Democrats bear primary blame for underlying inflation is the line Republicans are navigating differently.

What’s next: Former RNC deputy chief of staff Kevin Igoe wrote that Republicans' best midterm outcome requires Trump to 'talk a lot less and stay off camera.'

• Igoe acknowledged that outcome is 'never going to happen' and warned it will remain a problem into 2028 for Vice President JD Vance.
• Whether Republican candidates in competitive districts will publicly distance themselves from Trump's economic framing before midterms.
• How much of the affordability problem voters attribute to Trump's policies versus the Iran conflict or Biden-era inflation.