Trump turns the tide to ease fears of midterm poll wipeout

DONALD TRUMP’S hopes of avoiding a Republican wipeout at the midterm elections have markedly improved on the back of foreign policy successes and a booming economy.

One poll has put the Democrats just three points ahead of the Republicans, down from a 16 point lead in February, with the president’s approval ratings on the rise.

The resolution of the North Korea impasse, with a meeting between Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un scheduled and three US detainees returned, has confounded critics.

There are also signs that enthusiasm among Trump supporters for getting out to vote in the November congressional elections is on the rise, which is crucial for turnout.

Republican strategists have told The Daily Telegraph they are feeling much more upbeat about their prospects for keeping control of the Senate come November. Some believe voters are taking little interest in the Russian election meddling investigation and White House personnel controversies dominating coverage from Washington.

Instead they think the president will get the credit for the growing economy – expanding at 2.3 per cent a year according to recent figures – and a low unemployment rate.

The optimism is a far cry from last autumn, when Mr Trump had failed to pass any major legislation after months of White House chaos and a falling approval rating.

However, in the past six months Mr Trump has forced through a $1.5 trillion tax cut, delivered on campaign promises such as scrapping the Iran deal and implementing steel tariffs, and made progress in North Korea.

Republicans currently hold majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the two law-making bodies that make up the US Congress.

While they are still expected to lose control of the House to the Democrats at the November midterms, hopes are still high for holding the Senate and keeping House losses to a minimum.

A recent CNN poll asking voters which party they would back in congressional elections showed the Democrats leading the Republicans by just three percentage points.

Some 47 per cent said Democrat and 44 per cent Republican – a major change from February, when 54 per cent said Democrat and 38 per cent said Republican.

Mr Trump’s approval rating is also at its highest point since May 2017, though it remains lower than most past presidents at the same point in their first terms.

“Tax cuts have helped us, jobs are good, the economy is doing good, the stock market is relatively strong,” one Republican strategist said.

“The images of the hostages coming back from North Korea gives us a sense of international stability and security, whereas people might have had some trepidation six months ago. The Washington bubble can get lost in the topics they feel like covering rather than the issues the average person feels.”

A senior Republican aide in Congress said: “What the Democrats really need but they don’t have is some national issue and message.”