\n President Donald Trump\u2019s political team knows voters aren\u2019t thrilled with the current state of affairs. But they\u2019re betting they can convince them things will get markedly worse if Democrats win back power in November.\n <\/p>\n
\n Top Trump advisers are plotting an electoral push centered on messaging the midterms as a stark choice between the two parties\u2019 platforms, rather than a direct referendum on the success of Trump\u2019s presidency<\/a>, according to four people involved in the private planning.\n <\/p>\n \n The strategy is driven by internal polling showing that Republicans still hold a trust advantage over the Democratic Party on some key issues, even as Americans have soured on Trump and his performance overall.\n <\/p>\n \n Chief of staff Susie Wiles and James Blair, who is leaving the White House to run Trump\u2019s political operation, were among those who outlined the planned approach during a meeting with close allies at Washington\u2019s Waldorf Astoria hotel earlier this week.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201c[Democrats] want to make it a referendum on, \u2018Do you think everything is perfect?\u2019\u201d one person in the room said, describing the overall message. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s about, do you want to go forward and continue the work that is being successful and finish the job? Or go backwards to record inflation and high crime?\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Republicans are searching for ways to salvage their congressional majorities despite mounting headwinds, including an unpopular war in the Middle East<\/a> and deep voter dissatisfaction over the cost of living<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n That effort appeared to get even more challenging on Tuesday night, after Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could net Democrats an additional four congressional seats in November. Republicans currently hold 217 seats in the House to Democrats\u2019 212, and one independent caucuses with the GOP.\n <\/p>\n \n In an interview Wednesday with CNN\u2019s Dana Bash, Blair called the redistricting result \u201cvery close\u201d and predicted a voter backlash against the effort come November.\n <\/p>\n \n He added that he expects redistricting efforts across the country to ultimately give Republicans a narrow advantage in gained seats, though he declined to say whether Florida should push ahead with its own GOP-led attempt at redrawing its electoral map.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThese are no slam-dunk districts for them,\u201d Blair said of Democrats and the potential changes to Virginia\u2019s map. \u201cThey unloaded a lot of cash and they\u2019re going to have to fight for them in November.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The Trump team\u2019s plans seem to tacitly acknowledge that the president has lost significant ground with voters over the last year, and that more energy needs to be put toward attacking Democrats as a result. Trump\u2019s diminished approval ratings were not the subject of any extensive discussion during the Waldorf meeting, people in the room said.\n <\/p>\n \n Instead, advisers stressed the need to better elevate popular GOP policy accomplishments, while simultaneously portraying Democrats as obstructionists with no significant agenda of their own.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s all forward looking and it\u2019s not really about the White House,\u201d said another person in the room. They described a key element of the approach as warning voters that if Democrats win control of part of all of Congress, \u201cit means gridlock, it means nothing gets done at all. And we don\u2019t believe that\u2019s what the American public wants.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n There are several areas where Trump advisers believe Democrats are particularly weak, including their blanket opposition to the GOP tax policies in last year\u2019s \u201cbig, beautiful bill,\u201d as well as the party\u2019s record on issues like border security and crime.\n <\/p>\n