‘He’s Their Salesman’: Jennings Says Trump’s Speech Signifies Change In GOP 2026 Strategy

Republican strategist Scott Jennings said President Donald Trump’s speech Wednesday signals a clear shift in how Republicans plan to frame the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump delivered a live prime-time address from the White House that focused largely on the economy. During a panel on “The Source With Kaitlan Collins,” Jennings said Trump used the address to re-center the campaign narrative around his record and the conditions that first propelled him into office, while setting up a direct contrast with Democrats.

“So I guess for Republicans, he’s their salesman, and he has not been leading the sales fight on defining the contours of the election, but now he is, and I think you’ll see a lot of Republicans saying, ‘OK, the salesman-in-chief is back. He’s our leader. Let’s get behind him,’” Jennings said.

Jennings said Trump acknowledged lingering public frustration while making the case that voters should give him time to finish what he started.

“I think he spent a lot of last year on foreign affairs, took great success, but now we’re moving into an election year and the first line, ‘I inherited a mess and I am fixing it.’ Reminding people that we were in a deep hole, and that’s why he got elected in the first place,” Jennings added. “He is going to have to ask for some forbearance from the American people, but you can tell he does have a story to tell here. Some of it is in the Big Beautiful Bill that is the centerpiece of his domestic policy agenda. The tax cuts are good, and he does have villains here. The health insurance companies are a good villain.”

Jennings pointed to Trump’s framing of adversaries as a deliberate election strategy, naming both institutions and political opponents.

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“The Democrats being at an 18% approval rating, that’s a good villain. And so when you’re going into an election, I think it’s got two jobs,” Jennings said. “One, sell what you’re doing, but two, you got to post up against the alternative. The American people just rejected the alternative a year ago, and now he needs them to reject the alternative again.”

The speech comes as a new NPR/PBS News/Marist survey released Wednesday reports Trump facing his weakest public support yet on economic issues. Only 36% of respondents backed his handling of the economy, the lowest level recorded since Marist began tracking the question six years ago. (RELATED: Americans Turn To Fake Christmas Trees Despite Tariffs Hiking Prices)

Trump is facing headwinds on the economy, particularly in suburban areas, where voters gave him a 60% disapproval rating and just 33% approval, while his overall job approval stood at 38%, the lowest of his second term. Voters cited rising prices as their top economic concern, followed by housing costs, tariffs, and job security, underscoring persistent affordability pressures.

At the same time, federal employment continued to shrink and unemployment held steady at 4.6%, while inflation data showed moderating price growth, and the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year. Trump allies and the White House argue those trends, combined with falling gas prices, tax cuts, and rising wages, position the economy for stronger growth and a potential boom heading into 2026.

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