Maggie Haberman Says ‘Every Republican I Talk To Is Completely Freaked Out’

New York Times reporter and CNN commentator Maggie Haberman said Republicans are “completely freaked out” en masse about November’s midterm elections.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating is far underwater in every reputable poll. His second term has been marred by inflation thanks to his tariffs and the war on Iran, which he launched in February. In one survey, Democrats lead Republicans in a generic congressional ballot 51% to 43%. The GOP, which narrowly controls the House, is widely expected to lose the lower chamber and possibly the Senate.

Haberman appeared at the Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, where she was interviewed by Evan Smith of The Atlantic. Smith cited speculation that Republican internal polls are actually worse than the public polls portending a Republican shellacking.

“Did the people who voted for him vote for high prices, forever wars, an overflowing swamp, weaponization of the Justice Department as a way to retaliate against his enemies – real and perceived – a $40 trillion net national deficit and a president acting like a king?” Smith asked. “He seemed to campaign against those things, but now he’s done those things.”

Haberman disagreed with the speculation about polling.

“I don’t actually think it’s true that the private polls are worse than the public polls, just from the sources I’ve spoken to in both parties,” she replied. “I don’t agree that, like, a poll that shows Donald Trump at 29%, that in private it’s at 14 or something like that. I don’t think that people necessarily understand what that means. And some of it depends on district or state.”

Haberman then added, “Every Republican I talk to is completely freaked out. It’s gonna be bad.”

On Wednesday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who is in a closer-than-expected race against Democrat Adam Hamilton, fired off a post calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “coordinate with our local law enforcement” when operating in his state. The post raised eyebrows, as Republicans have generally offered full-throated support of the agency. Several Republicans in tight races have distanced themselves from Trump, including Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor in Florida. Once a vocal Trump supporter, Donalds has scrubbed mentions of Trump from his campaign website.

Watch above via C-SPAN.

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