Republicans scramble to put daylight between themselves and President Trump before the midterms
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As the 2025 midterm elections approach, several GOP officeholders are anxiously distancing themselves from President Trump on offshore wind, data centers, and the Iran conflict, while party leadership still tries to sell his agenda as if the rank-and-file will ignore the cracks.
With three weeks left before the 2025 midterm elections, a number of Republican officeholders are making a very public show of independence from President Donald Trump on selected policy issues, a familiar political maneuver when the president’s standing starts to drag the party down. Veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Fox News Digital that this kind of retreat is routine in midterm cycles when a president’s popularity weakens, adding that “the more outlandish things he’s done … this was bound to happen.”
House members Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia and Rep. Mike Lawler of New York have aired advertisements stressing their bipartisan credentials and pointedly noting breaks with Trump, including a reference to Kiggans “buck[ing] Trump on offshore wind.” Lawler’s ad even featured a clip of Trump calling him a “pain in the a--” over state and local tax deduction matters, underscoring the open tension Republicans are now trying to manage.
RNC spokeswoman Natalie Baldessarre said the party remains united behind the president’s agenda of tax cuts, lower drug costs and community security, while conceding that individual candidates have different political stakes in their own races.
Some Republicans are also breaking with Trump on foreign policy and technology issues. Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan and Sen. John Husted of Ohio have called for a moratorium on data-center construction pending local input, in contrast to Trump’s claim that opposition to data centers signals “backwards and poor” communities. Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan echoed that position, urging voter-driven decisions rather than a federal ban.
On the Iran conflict, several GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, have voted against continued U.S. involvement without congressional approval, arguing that a diplomatic solution is unlikely.
Other candidates, such as Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey, have scrubbed references to Trump from their campaign materials, trying to present themselves as independent leaders rather than part of his political orbit.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle reiterated the administration’s position that President Trump remains the central figure of the Republican Party and highlighted his policy achievements, while acknowledging the ongoing electoral battle with Democrats.