Frank Luntz Warns Trump’s Midterm Strategy Is ‘Very Dangerous’

Pollster Frank Luntz warned Monday that President Donald Trump is pursuing a “very dangerous strategy” by effectively putting himself on the ballot in November as Republicans scramble to energize his supporters.

Appearing on CNN This Morning, Luntz said Trump faces a difficult balancing act, urging his most loyal voters to back Republicans as his weakened standing threatens to motivate his opponents even more.

“I’m looking at a turnout differential that advantages the Democrats by a couple of points, which means that there are more people who oppose Donald Trump who are planning to vote than those who support him,” Luntz told host Audie Cornish.

The warning comes after Cornish pointed to a CNN poll that put Trump’s approval rating at 33%, his lowest level in the network’s polling across either of his terms. The same survey found Democrats holding an 8-point advantage over Republicans among voters nationally.

Luntz continued: “When he is on the ballot, his people come out, they participate. They did in the on-year elections, 2016 and 2024, and they did not in 2018, and they didn’t as much even when Joe Biden was the president in 2020 for the 2022 election. So that’s what he’s trying to do. His numbers, his support [are] not as strong today as it has been in the past, so it’s a very dangerous strategy.”

Luntz singled out Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio as states where Trump-aligned turnout could prove decisive, while identifying Hispanic voters, male union voters, and voters under 30 as key parts of the coalition Republicans must retain.

But he cautioned that the political environment has changed since Trump’s 2024 victory, adding: “Make no mistakes, we’re not in the same election.”

“Voters are frustrated and many of them are angry. And they want results, not rhetoric. And they expect the president to make changes,” Luntz said. “And they don’t like the war. They don’t like the affordability crisis. And they do not like the style and the ugliness.”

He added: “And I’d say one more thing to people who are working for Donald Trump, you can bash the pollsters all you want on Election Day. As the great coach John Wooten said, the votes are the votes. The results are the results, and I think this is going to be a challenge for GOP candidates.”

Concluding, Luntz said, “If he turns out his people, who still like him, still believe in the Trump message and the Trump agenda, we can have an upset. But right now, there are an awful lot of people who can’t wait to vote, and they want to send a message to this administration and the people of Washington, D.C.”

Watch above via CNN.

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