Trump advisers privately strategize around a new midterm push: Democrats would be worse | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump’s political team knows voters aren’t thrilled with the current state of affairs. But they’re betting they can convince them things will get markedly worse if Democrats win back power in November. Top Trump advisers are plotting an electoral push centered on messaging the midterms as a stark choice between the two parties’ platforms, rather than a direct referendum on the success of Trump’s presidency, according to four people involved in the private planning. 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. Chief of staff Susie Wiles and James Blair, who is leaving the White House to run Trump’s political operation, were among those who outlined the planned approach during a meeting with close allies at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria hotel earlier this week. “[Democrats] want to make it a referendum on, ‘Do you think everything is perfect?’” one person in the room said, describing the overall message. “For us, it’s about, do you want to go forward and continue the work that is