Political strategist and presidential adviser Dick Morris told Newsmax on Friday that Republican setbacks in key elections across the country were "all about Donald Trump."
He warned that the president's current approach could cost the GOP the midterm elections.
Morris told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" and guest host Bob Brooks that he conducted a poll Oct. 27 that showed voters souring on their own circumstances under Trump's second term.
"When we asked people, 'Is your personal life and that of your families ... affected positively or negatively during Trump's time in office,' only 29% said positively, 51% said negatively," Morris said. "This is not just a failure of message; this is a failure of policy."
Morris argued that Trump has emphasized trade deals and extracting concessions from foreign governments, while many voters are focused on day-to-day costs.
"The American voter is saying, What about me? What about my life? What about the price of chicken?" he said, adding that the administration's attention to the Middle East and Ukraine has left "nobody focused on the supermarket."
His comments came after Democrats notched major victories Tuesday in races widely seen as an early referendum on Trump's second term.
Democrats kept control of the Virginia House of Delegates and completed a sweep of statewide offices, including the governor's race.
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor's race by double digits over Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
In New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor, easily defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
And in California, voters approved Proposition 50, a Democrat-backed redistricting measure expected to tilt several congressional seats away from Republicans.
Morris said that although Trump occasionally announces targeted policy moves, they are not enough to change voters' perceptions.
"Even when Trump announces a cut here, a policy there, a compromise with a drug company there, it's not the major kind of change that is needed for him to capture the election," Morris said. "And I think that at the moment he's going to lose it.
"And I think that he needs to do a radical course reversal here."
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