GOP Senators Urge Trump to Stop Attacking Republicans, Focus on Democrats
As the November midterms approach and control of the U.S. Senate hangs in the balance, some Republican senators are privately urging President Donald Trump to stop targeting members of his own party and instead train his fire on Democrats. The internal friction comes as the GOP fights to hold its thin 53-seat majority in the upper chamber.
The tension centers on the SAVE America Act, an election integrity measure that Trump has aggressively pushed. His public pressure on Republicans who haven't delivered the bill has put vulnerable incumbents in a difficult position, with some GOP leaders worried the infighting is alienating the independent voters who will decide key races.
Thune: Focus on Why Republicans Need More Seats
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that while some Republicans are promising voters the bill could pass right now, the smarter approach is to explain why more Republicans are needed in the Senate to make it happen.
“The president made the argument, 'Well, pass the Save America Act, it will motivate our base,'” Thune said. “Yeah, but I think the base can be plenty motivated by other issues, and particularly by the president getting out there on the campaign trail and telling them why it's important that they elect Republicans to the Senate.”
“Everybody has their own ideas about how best to communicate our message, but I think our message between now and November ought to be why the Democrats are completely out of step with the American people and why we need to elect more Republicans so we can do things like the SAVE America Act,” he continued.
SAVE America Act Consumes Campaign Oxygen
The SAVE America Act has dominated much of the political conversation heading into the final stretch of the election cycle. The legislation has failed five times to pass in various iterations, and online proponents have punished Republicans, including Thune, who try to explain the political reality that Democrats continue to block the bill.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has been among those publicly sniping at colleagues over the bill's failure to launch. But Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC), warned that division would spell disaster for the GOP.
“There's no doubt that the road to socialism runs right through a divided Republican Party,” Scott told Fox News Digital. “I hope every American understands that, remembers that, and hears it several times between now and Election Day.”
Daines: Trump Should Show Contrast Between 'Common Sense Versus Crazy'
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who previously led the Senate GOP's campaign arm, reportedly questioned Trump's political operation during a closed-door meeting last week about when the president would start attacking Democrats instead of his own party members.
Daines told Fox News Digital that Trump would be “one of the most important voices in the 2026 election” and a powerful force in showing the contrast between “common sense versus crazy” developing in the Democratic Party.
“We're seeing the Democrats are just running so far to the left that it's frightening where the center of gravity is now a Democrat Party,” Daines said. “And this has been one of the more compelling arguments for '26, and the president can make that as well as anybody.”
Daines also noted that midterm elections typically come down to complacency versus motivation. “The party that is in power's base tends to be a bit more complacent. We've got to get our happy, complacent Republican voters out to the polls, because we cannot allow Democrats to take control.”
Iowa's Senate Race Hinges on Independent Voters
Thune specifically pointed to Iowa as one of the states where independent voters in the middle of the electorate will decide the outcome. He argued that internal GOP squabbling over issues like eliminating the filibuster is not winning over those voters.
“If you look at Maine, in North Carolina, in Ohio, in Iowa, in Alaska, you know, it's the Indy voters, it is the middle of the electorate, and we are not talking to them when we are arguing with each other over whether or not to eliminate the filibuster,” Thune said.
“I mean, that's just not an issue that's going to win the hearts and minds of the American people in November,” he continued. “So, I'd turn my fire on the Democrats, attack them for being against something that is fundamentally straightforward, simple to understand for the American people, and realize that the best way to get the SAVE Act across the finish line is to elect more Republican senators.”
What's at Stake in the 2026 Senate Map
Republicans face a difficult midterm map with more vulnerable incumbents in play than Democrats. With several seats on the line and Senate Democrats eager to regain control, the GOP knows that Trump will be key to motivating their base, just as he has in past elections.
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are undergoing their own ideological shifts on the campaign trail, with candidates like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota pushing left-leaning policies that Republicans see as prime messaging targets.
Will Trump Change His Messaging?
The question now is whether Trump will heed the advice from GOP leaders and shift from attacking fellow Republicans to taking on Democrats. With the election just weeks away, the party's ability to present a united front could determine whether Republicans keep or lose control of the Senate.
For Iowa voters, the message is clear: the path to passing the SAVE America Act and advancing conservative priorities runs through electing more Republicans to the Senate. Whether the party can stay focused on that message remains to be seen.