One place you won’t find President Trump? Starring in Republican ads, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/one-place-you-won-t-find-president-trump-starring-in-republican-ads/ar-AA2crMQf?ocid=BingNewsVerp)
17-09-2026
This article, based on a CNN analysis of AdImpact television advertising data, details how President Donald Trump is largely absent from Republican campaign ads ahead of the midterm elections, despite his prominent role in politics and his own calls for voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.”
Key highlights from the report:
Minimal GOP Spending on Trump-Focused Ads: Between September 1 and September 15, Republican candidates and outside groups aired only 12 TV ads specifically mentioning Trump. This accounted for about $1 million out of more than $160 million spent across over 500 Republican adsrepresenting less than 1% of the party’s total ad expenditures.
GOP Strategic Pivot: Republican strategists privately acknowledge that Trump’s low national approval ratings (around 36% in CNN’s Poll of Polls) make him an ineffective messenger in competitive general-election races. Instead of featuring Trump, Republican advertising focuses heavily on defining and attacking Democratic opponents or spotlighting popular policy measures, such as tax cuts. Even major outside groups tied to Trump’s political orbit, including the “No Going Back PAC,” have spent millions attacking Democrats without spotlighting Trump himself.
Contrast with Democratic Strategy: While Republicans avoid highlighting Trump, Democrats are making him a centerpiece of their campaign messaging. Democratic groups spent nearly $23 million airing 95 ads mentioning Trump during the same two-week periodroughly 20% of their total ad budgetaiming to tie Republican candidates directly to the president and his policies.
Rare Exceptions: A small number of battleground Republicans, such as Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, have included Trump in their ads, but primarily to highlight specific legislative wins (like tax relief) while attempting to balance loyalty to the base with appeals to moderate swing voters.