In December, Donald Trump began a subtle re-entry into the campaign arena, but as the new year unfolds, he is gearing up to intensify his rally efforts. His main goal is to prevent the Democrats from reclaiming control of Congress.

Historically, the party in power faces challenges during midterm elections, so for Republicans to maintain their grip on both the House and Senate, they will need an extraordinary effort paired with a bit of luck.

A Republican National Committee representative revealed to the Daily Mail that the GOP’s success in 2026 hinges on Trump supporters turning out as if he were personally on the ballot, a feat no modern-day president has managed to achieve.

According to an insider within the administration, Trump is particularly focused on three states: North Carolina, Michigan, and Georgia.

In Michigan and Georgia, the Republicans aim to capture two Senate seats currently held by Democrats but previously won by Trump in 2024. Additionally, both states feature open gubernatorial contests that The Cook Political Report classifies as toss-ups.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, the GOP is on the defensive, striving to retain the Senate seat that Thom Tillis is vacating. The party faces a challenge, as the president’s daughter-in-law withdrew from the GOP nomination, leaving a less dynamic candidate to carry the torch.

A Republican win in any of those three states would essentially preclude Democrats from winning back the US Senate this year.  

‘We are more bullish on this midterm cycle than in previous years,’ the RNC official said. ‘We are moving at lighting speed, taking the lead from the White House on that.’

Donald Trump is planning to hit the campaign trail running in 2026

White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair did not follow-through with scheduled commitment to speak with the Daily Mail regarding the president’s campaign strategy.

Trump has made two stops so far on his affordability tour aimed at selling his economic agenda to Americans — first in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania on December 9, and then in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on December 19 en route to his Mar-a-Lago residence for the Christmas and New Year holiday.

But the stops quickly revealed themselves as less about economic policy and more about rallying Republicans to turn out in the midterms for candidates who will advance the MAGA agenda.

The president veered off script at both events, doing little to keep his remarks focused on the economy. And the economic comments he did make were labeled ‘out of touch’ by critics who say residents in both states are struggling financially.

Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer lamented to the Daily Mail that Trump ‘continues to dismiss working families’ concerns about affordability as a ‘hoax.”

Vice President JD Vance is expected to be on the trail, as well – and is thought to be a more effective messenger when it comes to financial woes. 

In November, as unemployment rose to a four-year high in a major sign of weakness in the economy, Vance acknowledged Americans are feeling pains from the prior administration, and pleaded for patience.

Although not officially branded as a campaign stop, Trump’s event in North Carolina was alongside former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who is running for Senate in the state with the president’s support.

When Lara passed on running for any political seat to keep her Fox News show, Trump decided Whatley was the next best contender.

The North Carolina Senate race is considered a toss-up, and Whatley is leaning into Trump’s endorsement to help get him over the finish line against Democratic candidate Roy Cooper, a popular former governor who has a history of swaying Republican voters to cast their ballot his way.

One administration insider admitted that candidates do best when they ride on the ‘coattails’ of the president.

‘Trump is the greatest force for voter turnout and that’s something that Democrats can’t replicate,’ an RNC official agreed.

Trump appeared alongside former RNC Chairman and Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley for a affordability rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on December 19, 2025

Whatley earned favor with the Trumps when he served as RNC Chairman for the 2024 election – alongside co-chair Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law

Democrats say that Republicans’ strategy of leaning into acting as if the president is on the ballot isn’t a winning one. 

‘If Republicans’ solution to ‘facing almost certain defeat’ in the midterms — by their own admission — is to put Donald Trump on the campaign trail, we welcome their strategy with open arms,’ the DNC Rapid Response Director said. 

Witmer added: ‘Trump’s tour will remind working Americans of how Republicans sold them out to give billionaires tax breaks. In just one year, Trump’s 2024 coalition is unraveling as prices soar and good-paying jobs are harder and harder to come by.’

Trump will be campaigning from a considerably less popular position in 2026 than he was in 2024, when he could blame the country’s ills on the Democrats in power.

A December Daily Mail poll conducted by JL Partners found 36 percent of registered voters believe the cost of living is much more unaffordable since Trump returned to office, with another 12 percent ranking it a little more unaffordable, totaling 48 percent overall.

And a November Daily Mail/JL Partners poll showed Trump’s ratings at an all-time-low of his second term with 45 percent approval and 55 percent disapproval. 

In Georgia, Trump will likely appear to rally voters to dethrone Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp passed on running for the Senate seat, dealing GOP chances a severe blow. Several other Republicans are considering their bid to take on Ossoff, but most notably is current Congressman Mike Collins. 

Trump is also prepared to hit the road to Michigan where along with the House races there are chances for Republicans to flip a US Senate seat after Democratic Senator Gary Peters declined to seek reelection.

There are least three districts are viewed as battlegrounds in Michigan, and it could help determine control of the lower chamber in the next Congress. 

Vice President JD Vance is expected to hit the campaign trail, and is considered a more effective and empathetic messenger when it comes to American’s financial woes. Pictured: Vance appears with Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika at Turning Point’s AmericaFest on December 21, 2025

Both races for Ossoff and Peters’ seats present Republicans with the opportunity to increase the GOP majority in Congress as they are Democratic-held Senate seats in states that Trump won in the 2024 presidential election. 

During a December 8, 2025 interview with the YouTube program The Mom View, chief of staff Susie Wiles previewed Trump’s midterm plans.

‘I haven’t quite broken it to him yet, but he’s going to campaign like it’s 2024 again,’ Wiles said. 

‘We’re actually going to turn that on its head and put him on the ballot… because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters,’ she said, adding: ‘He’s a difference-maker, and he certainly is a turnout machine.’

It’s a huge undertaking for parties in power to try and hold onto their majorities in Congress in midterm elections. Historically at least one of the chambers will swing into the hands of the other party. 

During Trump’s first term in 2018, Republicans got crushed with a nationwide blue wave. Democrats flipped 43 seats in the House and two in the Senate, leaving Trump’s agenda facing a roadblock in his final two years. 

This year, Democrats need to gain just three seats in the House to wrest back control.