Trump leans into trolling critics as GOP midterm anxiety grows

President Trump is leaning into online trolling, off-color attacks and picking fights over geographical names as his approval rating sinks just weeks out from November’s midterm elections.

Over the weekend, Trump raised eyebrows when he floated changing the name of New Mexico to “New America” weeks after he swapped the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” amid the ongoing trade war with Canada. Trump also posted an image of the U.S. flag covering all of North America, the Caribbean, Greenland and Iceland. The move resulted in Iceland summoning the U.S. ambassador.

Additionally, Trump also stoked chatter when he posted to social media an AI video of him as the Green Lantern in an effort to tout his administration’s agenda.

Outrage has also grown against another animated video in which he is shown beating Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a hockey stick. The video was not posted by Trump but by an account supporting the president.

Democrats used some of the online posts to underline the contrast with Republicans, accusing Trump of not being focused on key issues.

“Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said in a statement.

Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) said Trump’s posts referencing New Mexico as “New America” only serve to hurt Republicans running in the midterms.

“It’s hurting his own team. It’s almost like there’s an intentional act to undermine your own party’s prospects in the midterms,” Dent said in an interview with MS NOW’s Peter Alexander.

On top of facing historical headwinds, Republicans are grappling with the fallout over the U.S. war in Iran, which has led to higher energy prices and inflation.

Republicans argue Trump’s posts are all part of a strategy meant to galvanize the president’s base as the party faces historical headwinds and low approval ratings going into November.

“The issue isn’t his trolling, it is what it means. He is not crazy. He’s doing this on purpose: He thinks it motivates his base. And he is usually right about that. Or at least, the party has to trust him on that,” one former Trump administration official told The Hill.

The focus on base turnout has echoed throughout the GOP ecosystem this cycle. Republicans argue that Trump is their best turnout mechanism for the base, and that the party apparatus will handle targeting persuadable voters.

“We need him to think his name is on the ballot,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor. “The worst thing for Republicans is a disengaged Trump.”

Trump asked his base to actually “pretend” that he is on the ballot in November, warning his agenda will get blocked by a Democratic majority.

“That’s the plan. And with the war unlikely to end and gas prices unlikely to come down, it probably isn’t the worst plan they could come up with,” the former official said.

However, other Republicans say Trump’s online trolling will have no impact whatsoever on voters, noting the posts and memes are mostly consumed by an online and Beltway-centric audience.

“At the end of the day, what he does on social media or even how it’s reported on cable news isn’t really what’s going to move voters one way or another,” said one Republican strategist.

“Do I think it shows he’s not focused on what matters? Yes. Do I think he’s doing it to motivate his base? I don’t know. But in either direction, I don’t think it matters,” the strategist added. “It’s going to come down to how people feel overall [about] how the economy is doing, and is he and the admin truly focused on it.”

“On that front, I wouldn’t feel great about it if I was a Republican consultant responsible for keeping a Senate majority and certainly a House majority,” the strategist said.

Polls show a majority of Americans are unhappy with the administration’s handling of the economy. According to a poll released by the Financial Times and Focaldata on Tuesday, Trump’s approval sat at 33 percent among registered voters. The same poll also showed that 66 percent said they believed the economy was going in the wrong direction.

When asked about the criticisms of Trump’s online posts, the White House said he “can walk and chew gum at the same time.”

“As the leader of the free world, he’s well equipped to stand up for America’s national interests on the world stage while working to lower costs here at home,” said Allison Schuster, a White House spokesperson.

The unnamed Republican strategist said the posts from Trump’s social media account could provide a glimpse into what will be heard from the president and his allies at this week’s midterm convention in Dallas and the campaign trail leading up to November.

“They’re just wholly misguided by that because even the president’s base, the people that turned out and propelled him to victory — whether they were traditional MAGA voters or even Hispanic voters — if they are undecided both in the elections or even to show up and vote, they’re not going to base it on anything other than how they’re feeling about the economy,” the strategist said.