WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is embarking on a travel blitz aimed at shoring up struggling Republicans in states he won two years ago, as the president’s mood darkens about his party’s prospects in the November midterm elections.

In the coming days, Trump plans to appear in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Nebraska, GOP strongholds where a visit could deliver a jolt of energy to his base. But the choice of destinations points to a cold reality for Trump: a presidential appearance on behalf of office-seekers in competitive states might hurt more than it helps.

With less than five weeks until Election Day, Trump has become increasingly aware of the dire straits for Republicans after taking in polls showing his support cratering, according to people familiar with the president’s thinking who requested anonymity to describe his mindset.

Surveys show Republicans rapidly losing ground amid voter anger over the economy and the war in Iran, as Democrats grow increasingly bullish about retaking the House and possibly the Senate.

“His travel tells a lot. I think we’ve been hearing from the White House since last December that he would be traveling all over the country and he would be on the ballot,” said Marc Short, a Republican who served in the first Trump administration. “That just hasn’t materialized.”

A poll published Thursday showed that only 17% of Americans approve of the president’s handling of the cost-of-living. The survey, by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, also found that just 26% back his stewardship of the economy overall, a record low.

The convention that Republicans hosted in Dallas last month amounted to a missed opportunity for the party, a top GOP strategist working on midterm elections said. While it was heavy on pomp, it didn’t sufficiently outline the party’s achievements and priorities nor did it offer a strong enough contrast with Democrats, the strategist said.

Trump has called the convention a success. The president has vacillated between publicly trying to absolve himself of any blame for his party’s plight — noting during his United Nations address last month that he is “not running” — while also looking for ways to boost GOP candidates and telling voters to pretend they’re voting for him.

The president this week announced plans for a new steel mill in Iowa and a South Korea-funded liquid natural gas project in Alaska. Both states are home to competitive Senate races.

On Wednesday, the president said he would be “making a tour” to help Republican congressional candidates and implored supporters to vote even if they “don’t love” their congressmen or senators in order to keep Democrats out of power. He also blamed the GOP’s predicament on messaging.

“I’m going out because nobody’s selling it,” Trump said at the White House. “I’m doing — we’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion, and an extremely great job of running the country.”

Behind closed doors, Trump has shown frustration about the position that he’s in: mired in an intractable war of choice that has exacerbated the affordability crisis, the people familiar said. While he has sought to project confidence, he has acknowledged that Democratic wins could subject his administration to investigations and oversight, according to the people.

In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, the president reiterated his long-held contention that polls are inaccurate.

“They’re fake numbers. I would beat anybody running today by 20 points,” Trump said.

The president added that his longtime pollster, John McLaughlin, told him his approval ratings are actually “much higher than the numbers.”

But even members of Trump’s party have nodded at the grim position Republicans are confronting. Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters recently he would be campaigning for GOP candidates in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, grousing that those states should be “fat guy layups for us.”

A Republican official said Trump’s upcoming travel will help boost candidates running statewide and that they expect the events to have broader reach. The official said Trump is welcome in battleground states and that they plan to hold events in Iowa, Texas, Michigan and Florida in the coming weeks — while prioritizing locations in those states where they can turn out Trump voters.

The official added that Trump and Vice President JD Vance will be on the campaign trail almost every day in October, promising an uptick in the pace of campaigning. Trump has said he plans to campaign in Alaska and Iowa, among other states.

“President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in response to questions about the president’s itinerary and mindset.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report now rates seven Senate races as “toss-ups,” including those in Ohio, Texas, Iowa and Alaska. Senate contests in Kansas and Nebraska have become competitive and Democratic strategists say more House seats appear to be pickup opportunities than previously thought. In addition, Cook on Thursday moved two key governor races — in Texas and Florida — more toward Democrats.

When Trump heads to Nebraska on Monday, he’ll appear in Grand Island, a conservative part of the state, not in the more liberal Omaha area, where Democrats appear poised to capture a congressional seat. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said that the last time a presidential candidate came to Grand Island was in 2006.

Creating Distance

“This sends the very clear signal that Republicans know that they’re in trouble and the only way they think they can win is to turn out their base,” said Kleeb, also vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Some Republicans are looking for ways to create distance with Trump, breaking with him on issues including the war in Iran and immigration enforcement.

Still, Trump and his party have a financial advantage, with Republicans outspending Democrats in all seven of those tossup Senate races.

Pressed in the Oval Office recently about why Republicans are struggling in Iowa — a state Trump won three times — Trump first dismissed polling as fake. He then added: “I don’t know, I love Iowa. I’ve always been very strong with Iowa.”

When Vance recently visited the state, he appeared in the state’s heavily Republican 4th Congressional District, rather than one of the three other more competitive districts, and was not joined by Representative Ashley Hinson, the state’s GOP Senate candidate. Hinson had appeared at the White House for an earlier power-plant announcement.

The party that holds the White House often sustains losses during the midterm elections, but Democrats are hopeful that this year could be a so called “wave election” that delivers them wins in typically out-of-reach places.

Democratic consultants said that Trump’s moves on tariffs, the war and his ongoing focus on legacy projects including the White House ballroom have only helped their chances with voters.

“Democrats are poised to have epic wins in the House and Senate because it’s clear the American people do not want to continue on this track,” said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh.

—With assistance from Jeff Mason and Jennifer A. Dlouhy.

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