The chairman of the Republican National Committee touted President Donald Trump’s recent primary victories amid declining approval ratings within the president’s own party.
RNC chairman Joe Gruters (R-FL) was asked about a recent Fox News poll showing that just over 60% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s job performance.
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Gruters, a Republican state senator from Florida, pushed back on the polling, instead pointing to Trump’s recent success in Republican primaries as the midterm elections begin to ramp up.
“He is well-supported by the party base, and the base loves the president,” Gruters said. “The president’s the leader of our party, and when he makes a decision, when he comes out and endorses candidates, those candidates usually win.”
Still, other surveys have similarly reflected weak approval numbers for Trump. A poll from the American Research Group found that 64% of respondents disapproved of the president’s performance, while RealClearPolitics’ polling average showed Trump with a 39.8% approval rating.
Voters are also continuing to grapple with the economic effects of the conflict with Iran, particularly at the gas pump. National gas prices averaged roughly $4.46 per gallon this week, though that marked a slight decline from the previous week. Inflation, meanwhile, reached 3.5% in March.
Despite those economic concerns and sagging approval ratings, Trump has continued to demonstrate his grip on the GOP through recent primary contests, with several of his endorsed candidates securing victories.
“Americans are overwhelmingly rejecting the Democrats’ out-of-touch agenda while rallying behind President Trump and Republicans’ commonsense policies,” Kiersten Pels, spokeswoman for the RNC, said in a comment to the Washington Examiner. “As Democrats double down on fringe issues like handouts for illegals and boys in girls’ sports, President Trump-backed candidates continue dominating nationwide.”
On Tuesday, Trump-backed candidate Ken Paxton crushed longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in Texas’s Republican Senate primary. Trump, who endorsed Texas’s attorney general just a week before the election, sought to strike a conciliatory tone afterward, writing on Truth Social on Wednesday that Cornyn “will remain my friend for a long time to come.”
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Trump took a far harsher approach following Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) primary loss earlier this month, writing on Truth Social that Cassidy “falsely” used his relationship with Trump throughout his political career before voting to impeach him.
“His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Trump wrote.
