Trump Confronted With Karl Rove’s Warning His Rallies Could Backfire on the GOP

President Donald Trump gaggled with the press on Friday as he left the White House and was asked about Karl Rove’s recent warning that his midterm rallies could backfire with some voters.

“I’m just curious. Do you feel like the strategy is working? I know he’s not your favorite, but Karl Rove had an article the other day in the Journal, and he said that there’s a chance of backlash. Do you think the rally is the best strategy so close to the midterm?” a reporter asked the president.

“Look, you have Karl Rove. He’s a loser. He’s proven he’s been a loser all his life,” Trump said of the former Bush aide, who helped run two winning presidential campaigns.

“Karl Rove doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Look, every single place I’ve gone to, every single place, whether people were losing, that were expected to win. When I’m leaving, look at Ohio, how much better he’s doing. Look at everyone,” Trump claimed, adding:

Look at Iowa last night with Ashley. She’s… they just came out with numbers right now. Every place I’m going to, every place is full, loaded with people, lines outside trying to get in. I’m going to Fort Myers right now. They say there’s a line of people that’s five miles long. Every place I’ve gone to, I’ve helped, and every, every place wants me. The one problem is I’m one person. This is a lot of work.

Rover published a column in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday titled, “Trump Takes His 2026 Midterm Show on the Road.” In the piece, Rove warned that Trump’s “omnipresence” on the campaign trail is a “risk.”

“It’s too soon to know if this bet will pay off, but it carries real risks. The rallies keep him in the headlines, but as a partisan figure in a midterm election in which voters render their verdict on him. His biggest fans would probably vote anyway. Less enthusiastic supporters are the ones whose votes Republicans need,” Rove argued.

Watch the clip above via MS NOW.

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