President Donald Trump joked that supporters would applaud “the stupidest things” during a Tennessee rally on Saturday, underscoring his confidence in his grip on the GOP base even as polls suggest some of his 2024 voters want Republican candidates to distance themselves from him ahead of November's midterms.
Trump repeatedly cast himself as the driving force behind Republican success and urged supporters to turn out for the midterms at a campaign rally for Tennessee Republicans Senator Bill Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn.
"I'm very popular. I really am," Trump told the Clarksville crowd.
What the Polls Show on Trump
Trump's comments come as new polling points to potential enthusiasm challenges for Republicans despite Trump's continued dominance within the party.
A POLITICO/PF Global poll published Thursday found that 26 percent of voters who backed Trump in 2024 believe Republican candidates should break with the president in order to win in November. Separately, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between September 30 and October 5 found that just 30 percent of Trump's 2024 voters described themselves as "very enthusiastic" about voting in this year's midterm elections, compared with 48 percent of voters who backed former Vice President Kamala Harris.
In addition, a Pew Research Center poll released October 8 found that Trump’s approval among voters who backed him in 2024 had fallen to 67 percent, down from 75 percent in July, 83 percent at the beginning of 2026 and 95 percent early in his second term. Thirty-one percent of his 2024 voters now disapprove of his job performance.
Republican strategist Charlie Gerow told Newsweek this week that some of the findings raised the stakes for the party's turnout efforts, while predicting the enthusiasm gap could narrow as Republicans focus on the prospect of Democrats gaining power.
"The enthusiasm has to be ginned up among Republicans because turnout is what's going to determine the outcome of these midterm elections," Gerow said.
The polling nevertheless points to erosion rather than a wholesale break with Trump. A series of summer surveys found his approval among Republicans remained around 80 percent or higher, including 86 percent in an August Emerson poll, 80 percent in an Economist/YouGov survey and 80 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in late July and early August. The latest Pew Research Center survey found 77 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents remained confident in his decision-making on immigration, a hallmark issue of his 2024 campaign.
Trump dismissed suggestions that he has become a political liability for Republican candidates, using part of his Tennessee speech to rebut media commentary he said he had seen while traveling aboard Air Force One.
Referencing television analysts discussing about battleground states, Trump added: "The guy said, 'Well, I don't know. The Republicans are going to lose because Trump is so unpopular.' I'm very popular."
He later argued that Republican candidates benefit from their association with him.
"You'll win because I am popular," Trump said. "We're common sense. We want borders. We want low taxes."
The president also touted the strong reception he receives at rallies, telling supporters that appearing before crowds of loyal backers makes campaigning easier.
"There's such love in these rooms," Trump said. "I could say the stupidest things, and you'd clap."
Trump immediately qualified the remark, adding: "But we don't say the stupidest things. We say things of common sense."
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email on Saturday night for comment.
Trump's Tennessee Talking Points
Throughout the nearly two-hour appearance, Trump repeatedly stressed the connection between his political brand and Republican electoral success. At one point, he questioned why he was campaigning in a state he has comfortably carried in previous elections. He has been in Texas and New York in recent days, trying to put his weight behind close races there.
"What the hell am I doing in Tennessee?" Trump asked, noting that he expects Hagerty, Blackburn and other Republican candidates to win. "I don't have to campaign here, and I win."
Trump said he chose to campaign in Tennessee anyway because he wanted to thank supporters in a state that had backed him repeatedly.
"Sometimes it's nice to go to a place where you don't have to be, but you're there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times."
Trump spent part of the speech attacking transgender inclusion in women's sports, arguing it had become a winning political issue for Republicans and suggesting Democrats were out of step with voters on the issue.
He also revived complaints about Canadian trade practices and riffed about renaming geographic landmarks, suggesting Lake Ontario could become "Lake America" and joking that the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could one day be known as the "Trump Ocean."
Trump also promoted his proposed "$5,000 Trump dividend," arguing tariff revenue would allow Republicans to send direct payments to Americans if the party retains control of Congress.
Why an Enthusiasm Gap Matters for Midterms
A recent CBS News/YouGov poll offered a broader look at the potential implications of who feels compelled to turn out to vote in the November 3 midterms.
Its Battleground Tracker estimates Democrats currently have an advantage in the fight for a narrow House majority, citing opposition to the Trump administration's policies and a Republican base that is less likely to turn out.
Republicans may struggle to hold their edge in Congress if their voters don't turn out, according to the poll.
In the Reuters/Ipsos survey, 52 percent of respondents said a candidate's stance on the cost of living would be the most important factor in their congressional vote. And the CBS poll also found that many voters felt the administration had not focused enough on lowering food costs.
Republicans who think Trump isn't focused on prices were less likely to say they would definitely vote, according to the poll.
The findings suggest a two-part challenge for Republicans involving addressing an issue voters say matters to their decision and persuading less-motivated supporters that the election is worth turning out for.
For Democrats, the polls suggests to an opportunity to rally turnout in competitive races.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story.
For more analysis from us on the numbers shaping U.S. politics and the 2026 midterms, sign up for Newsweek's Midterms Monitor newsletter.