Our most recent book is The Comeback: The 2024 Elections and American Politics. The first year of the second Trump administration has been full of ominous developments. Scandals persist. Along with war and inflation, Trump's corruption is bringing down the GOP.
Democrats across the country are coalescing around a closing message in the midterm elections that accuses Republicans of flagrant corruption, tying the attack to the billions President Donald Trump has made during his second term and arguing that, unlike in the past, this issue is costing voters money.
The president made more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency alone in 2025. Over one dozen companies with investment funds tied to Trump’s sons amassed $3.2 billion in federal contracts, loans and investments. And Trump says his son recently paid back the well-connected Russian businessman who funded his wedding celebrations.
Voters’ feelings that politicians are corrupt have grown more prevalent in recent years. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. adults said corruption was widespread in government, according to a Gallup poll released this month, a 10-point jump from last year.
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But the difference in Democratic messaging this year is that the party is linking headlines about the Trump family’s growing wealth with the way people feel like costs are hurting them every day.
“Trump’s corruption has really put the issue front and center,” said Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, the top Democratic super PAC focused on taking back the legislative chamber. “What we are seeing is if the 2018 elections were a response to the chaos of Trump 1, these elections are about the corruption of Trump 2.”
The focus has been particularly pronounced in Senate races, where French’s group has advised political operatives nationwide to “amplify” their focus on corruption by tying it to rising costs.
In a strategy memo sent to operatives this week, and shared first with this newsletter, the super PAC reports that its research shows voters believe “corruption is a problem that personally raises their own costs, and the top reason by far is that it drives up the price of everyday goods: gas, groceries, utilities, housing.” The group advises candidates to keep costs front and center while focused on corruption, but suggests labeling Republicans as “corrupt politicians” while linking their opponents to what voters view as Trump’s own self-dealing.
The group has put this strategy behind the tens of millions they plan to spend on ads this cycle.
