President Donald Trump has been on a roll since taking the reigns at the White House, but it can all come crashing down if Republicans drop the ball ahead of the midterm elections, Newt Gingrich warned this week.
The former Speaker appeared on the Fox Business show “Kudlow,” where he told host Larry Kudlow on Thursday that “there’s a lot at stake” in 2026 if majority Republicans don’t quickly pass the Trump economic agenda of tax cuts and other incentives.
“Almost guarantee losing the Republican House next year and ruining the last two years of President Trump’s term with Hakeem Jeffries playing the Nancy Pelosi role, investigations, blocking programs, potential impeachments,” the former Speaker said.
“I mean, there’s a lot at stake here, and it frankly mystifies me as to how House and Senate Republicans can’t understand you’ve got to plan back from victory,” he said.
He said that by June, Republicans must have legislative victories on issues like tax cuts, deregulation, and energy affordability.
“The victory here is winning in November of 2026. That requires a very strong economy. That requires a very strong tax cut deregulation, a pro energy affordability bill, certainly no later than May or June. And I cannot understand these guys, you know, I lived through it,” he said.
Gingrich also warned of the lessons from history that happen to administrations during midterm elections.
“Reagan lost 26 seats in the first off-year election because his tax cuts didn’t go into effect until 1983. Trump lost 42 seats in his first-off year election because the tax bill didn’t pass until October,” he said. “When I hear senators saying cavalierly, ‘Oh, we’ll pass the easy bill early, and we’ll get around to the other bill by October.’ They’re talking about killing the chances of keeping the House Republican.”
He said a key part of the midterm strategy was to pass the legislation quickly and then have Trump visit areas where Republicans can take House seats away from Democrats.
“They need to get the bill clear, make sure that we know what’s in it, and then for about 10 weeks, we need President Trump back on the road. There are 13 districts that have Democrats that he carried. There are another 21 districts that have Democrats where he came within 5%. If he goes in those 34 districts and says, ‘A no vote is a vote for a tax increase on your family,’ I think you’ll see at least half those Democrats decide to vote with the Republicans,” he said.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, meanwhile, has developed a plan to increase his party’s advantage in the Senate from 53 to 55 seats, targeting the defense of current Republican seats in Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio, while also looking to grab Democratic seats in Michigan and Georgia.
Minnesota could also be up for grabs now that Democrat Sen. Tina Smith announced that she would not be seeking reelection. Republicans could face a familiar foe for that seat in Gov. Tim Walz, who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice to be her vice president during her doomed 2024 presidential campaign, according to reports this week.
That said, some Democrats are already lining up to run for the seat, while other familiar names are considering it.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has already announced her candidacy on Instagram where she said, “I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar has not ruled out a bid as a spokesperson for the “Squad” member told Politico, “Congresswoman Omar will be talking with Minnesotans about the future of the Senate seat and DFL party in Minnesota.”
Smith announced her retirement in a video this week.
In it, she said, “After 20 years of hard and rewarding work in the public sector, I’m ready to spend more time with my family.”