Trump's YOLO Phase Hits It's Biggest FAIL w/ Josh Marshall

Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low—and the ripple effects could reshape the entire midterm map.

Talking Point Memo's Josh Marshall & Molly Jong-Fast , break down new Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Donald Trump dropping from 35% to 33%, described as the lowest of his presidency and potentially unprecedented for a modern president heading into a midterm. They discuss why much of the political “insider” world may be underestimating just how rough the environment looks for Republicans, even as Democrats continue to struggle with their own brand problems.

The discussion then zooms into the Senate battlefield: Texas, Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, and North Carolina. With Democrats needing to win five of seven, the episode explores which races look plausible, which are still major question marks, and why certain Democratic candidates (and campaign styles) may fit their states better than the national party image.

The episode also digs into broader forces driving voter anger—especially economic frustration and a sense that “there are no rules anymore”—and why Trump is being blamed for more of it than many expected. The panel contrasts the D.C./New York political bubble with the mood in the rest of the country, and closes with a blunt assessment: sometimes campaigns don’t have good options, and Trump appears to be leaning into the very image that’s dragging him down.

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