Top Trump Aide to Leave White House To Run Midterm Push

James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff, is considering temporarily leaving his role to lead President Donald Trump’s political operation as the midterm elections approach, according to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in a statement to Politico.

“James is a top lieutenant of the President’s and has been invaluable to me for the better part of a decade. That is the frame from which we are considering our options,” Wiles said.

She added that taking into consideration how best “to deploy a most valuable political asset for success in the midterms” is an obvious commonsense measure.

Blair, who previously served as deputy chief of staff to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is now in charge of Trump’s strategy for the 2026 midterm elections. He was brought on by Wiles to lead Trump’s Florida operations in 2020. In 2023, he transitioned to the presidential campaign, and later, he played a significant role in garnering support for Trump’s flagship legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

“James was not only the chief strategist but also the chief lobbyist,” Wiles said. “Working closely with the president and the team, he helped deliver the biggest legislative package in decades, maybe the largest ever.”

Republicans hold narrow majorities in both the House and Senate, and Trump’s approval rating has dropped significantly following the U.S. attacks on Iran, according to aggregated polling data.

“You’re looking at an ugly November,” said veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “At a point in time when we need every break possible to hold the House and Senate, our edge is being chipped away.”

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say U.S. military action in Iran has “gone too far,” according to polling conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in March. Roughly one-third of respondents said they approve of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran overall, Newsmax reported.

Public support for deploying ground troops appears limited. About 6 in 10 adults said they are either strongly or somewhat opposed to sending U.S. forces into Iran, including roughly half of Republicans. Only about 1 in 10 respondents expressed support for such a move.

At the same time, Trump’s overall job approval ratings have remained relatively steady. Approximately 4 in 10 Americans said they approve of his performance as president, a level consistent with polling throughout his second term, Newsmax added.

All said, new polling data shows Trump strengthening his position within the Republican Party, even as his overall national approval ratings remain underwater.

Surveys conducted over the past month indicate a noticeable increase in support among GOP voters, underscoring Trump’s continued dominance within his party heading into the 2026 midterm election cycle.

A Quinnipiac University poll found Trump’s approval rating among Republicans rose significantly between March and April, climbing from roughly 72 percent to around 81 percent. That represents a substantial jump in net approval within the party over a relatively short period.

Similarly, polling from YouGov in partnership with The Economist showed similar gains. In that survey, Trump’s approval among Republicans increased from 82 percent approval and 14 percent disapproval in March to approximately 84 percent approval and 12 percent disapproval in April.

Across multiple surveys, the trend is consistent: Republican voters remain strongly aligned with Trump, and in some cases, support appears to be consolidating further rather than eroding.

However, the broader national picture tells a different story. Among all registered voters, Trump’s approval ratings remain negative. Polling averages show approval in the high 30s and disapproval in the mid-50s, yielding net approval ratings of approximately -17 to -20 points.

This divergence reflects the increasingly polarized nature of American politics. A president can maintain dominant support within their own party while facing persistent opposition across the wider electorate. In Trump’s case, that polarization has been a defining feature of both his first and second terms.