Karl Rove Blames Trump for the GOP’s Struggles: ‘Voters Have Spoken’

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Legendary GOP operative Karl Rove pointed the finger at President Donald Trump for Republican Matt Van Epps’s underperformance in a Tennessee special congressional election on Tuesday, identifying Trump’s unpopularity as a “difficult problem” facing his party.

After dismissing various explanations of Van Epps’s less-than-impressive victory — he defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by 9 points in a House district Trump carried by 22 points — including money, candidate quality, and turnout operations, Rove turned his attention to the man he identified as the true culprit.

“All these explanations for Tennessee try to avoid the difficult problem facing the party: the president’s approval rating. In the RealClearPolitics average, it’s 42.4%. In Gallup, it’s 36%. Both are the lowest of his second term,” wrote Rove. “The Gallup poll details who has lost confidence in Mr. Trump. Among Republicans, his approval dropped from 91% in November 2024 to 84% last month. Among independents, it has dropped by double digits, from 42% in November 2024 to 25% today.”

“As much as the White House may want this contest to be about Mr. Trump, so do Democrats. Let GOP candidates make their races about themselves and even create some distance from the president,” he argued. “The focus must be on kitchen-table issues. James Carville’s 1992 pronouncement is still true today: It’s the economy, stupid, and don’t forget healthcare. If Republicans ignore this 33-year-old wisdom, they’ll lose their House majority and maybe the Senate, too. Voters have spoken. Will the GOP listen?”

This is a theme for the strategist-turned-commentator. After Election Day last month, Rove declared:

Most concerning for the GOP, voters’ decisions Tuesday were certainly a result of their disapproval of Mr. Trump and his policies. The RealClearPolitics average that day had him at 43.4% approve, 54.4% disapprove. He has even worse numbers on the economy, foreign policy and inflation.

To turn this around, the White House will need to focus on the economy and the cost of living, speak candidly about challenges, lower expectations, temper the rhetoric, underpromise, overdeliver and stop going too far, like with Immigration and Customs Enforcement roundups at Home Depot.

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