Hume: Should Trump be Front And Center With 36% Approval?
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/10/14/hume_should_trump_be_front_and_center_with_36_approval.html

FOX News chief political analyst Brit Hume questioned whether President Donald Trump's high-profile campaigning is helping the party given his low approval rating.

BRET BAIER: Well, senators and challengers debate President Trump's policies as we get closer to the midterm elections. If you look at the debates that happened last night, you just saw that piece from Grady Trimble. This is just last night.

We'll see many more of those in the days to come. If you look at our power rankings when it comes to the Senate, you can see how it's on a knife's edge here. And the toss-ups in yellow, that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Let's bring in Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume. Brit, let's start 30,000 feet. We're closing in, obviously, on Election Day. Where do you see things right now?

BRIT HUME: Well, I think that the Republicans have to be concerned that this might turn out to be a little bit like, first like 1980 for the, where the Republicans won a landslide and nobody expected it. Ronald Reagan became president over 1994, where it looked like Bill Clinton was, he was campaigning much the way, he was president, of course, Democrat, he was campaigning much the way Trump has, just crossing the country. The Republicans that year had a program called the Contract for America, and Clinton was calling it the Contract on America.

And I was covering the White House at the time, I'll never forget it. I thought, well, maybe he's making headway here with this. You know, he had the biggest megaphone, as presidents always do, and he got big crowds, and the Democrats and the president's party absolutely got slaughtered in that race and got control of the House for the first time in decades.

The Republicans have to worry that something like that may happen to them in this race, where not only do they lose the close ones, but they lose a lot that weren't even thought to be close, and you get a big washout. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but I think it could happen.

BRET BAIER: Yeah, and you look at the polls, the races are pretty tight on the big Senate races, also some governor's races. But if you look at our poll, the new poll out tonight, which party would be better to handle? And you ask a list of questions, foreign policy, gas prices, inflation and prices, and you see Democrats with pretty significant leads in places where Republicans have been, especially when it comes to foreign policy, leading.

BRIT HUME: Absolutely, Bret. I mean, you know, those are the three major issues right there, and the Republicans are way underwater by, you know, any number of points there that the polls reflect. And, you know, the polling is similar about the president himself.

You know, he's out there saying he wants everybody to act like he's on the ballot. Well, that's fine if you're simply trying to turn out Republicans. But the polls, the polling that we now have show that his support among Republicans has diminished since election day.

And they're also showing that his approval rating is, what, 36 percent? That means he might get 36 percent of the vote out, but look, 64 percent disapproved. That is really bad at this stage when he's out there front and center.

And it may raise the question in the minds of some people whether he should be out there front and center the way he is, given his standing. So I think it's a tough situation for the Republicans. They may be able to overcome it, but it won't be easy.

BRET BAIER: Yeah, he's clearly hoofing it to a lot of states and thinks he can move the needle with these events, and we'll see if it happens in a few weeks. Brit, as always, thank you.