With the midterm elections about two months away, President Donald Trump appears to be panicking about the idea of a Republican wipeout.
According to Politico, Trump has invited a group of top Hill Republicans, including some in competitive races, to a dinner at the White House on Wednesday. The report said the group will discuss how exactly the GOP will spend its huge campaign war chest this fall.
“The White House invited at least several dozen lawmakers, according to two people familiar with the invitation list,” Politico said of the meeting. “The dinner also comes ahead of next week’s GOP midterm convention in Dallas, though attendance from Republican lawmakers is expected to be mixed. Barrett, for example, said in an interview Tuesday he is not planning to attend the convention and will instead campaign and spend time with his family. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
EXCLUSIVE: Trump has invited a group of battleground Republicans to a White House dinner as many hope he will soon unleash his $400 million war chest for them.https://t.co/Bzs3B0GrGt
— POLITICO (@politico) September 2, 2026
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The GOP, the Politico report said, is facing “mounting electoral headwinds from the war in Iran, higher gas prices and new tariffs,” as Trump faces record unpopularity. Incumbent presidents also usually lose seats in midterm elections.
Trump’s MAGA, Inc., organization currently has a $400 million war chest, and it hasn’t spent much of it.
“The scheduled dinner comes the same day Securing American Greatness, the nonprofit arm of Trump’s operation, is launching its first major ad buy of the general election,” the Politico story said. “ One ad features UFC President Dana White praising Trump along with a clip from Trump’s State of the Union address in February. Another ad touts the tax cuts passed through Republicans’ domestic agenda bill last year, including ‘no tax on tips.'”
The Daily Beast pointed out the not-great optics of this dinner.
“Perhaps not the greatest optics to be wining and dining in a space Trump has remade to look like his private Mar-a-Lago club, down to the table umbrellas, as the cost of living for most Americans soars, but Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated and have been pushing for the president to unleash his $400 million super PAC war chest to help with the campaign,” that account said.
