It’s rare to hear a White House Chief of Staff talking like a campaign manager two years out from a midterm, but Susie Wiles just made it very clear: President Donald Trump isn’t just planning to govern — he’s planning to hit the trail hard for the 2026 elections.
In a wide-ranging interview on The Mom View, Wiles pulled back the curtain on the administration’s unconventional — and unmistakably Trumpian — strategy. The 2026 midterms won’t be the traditional off-year contest focused on local races and low-key party infrastructure. Instead, Wiles says, they’re going to “put him on the ballot,” even if his name isn’t technically on one.
Why? Because the Trump base doesn’t show up unless Trump shows up.
“We saw what happens when he’s not on the ballot and not active,” Wiles noted, referencing a muted turnout in recent special elections — including Tennessee’s 7th District, where the GOP held the seat, but only after spending an unexpectedly large sum to do so. Republican strategist Jason Roe flagged it as a “danger sign,” and he’s not wrong. Holding safe seats by narrow margins isn’t a show of strength — it’s a warning.
That’s exactly why Wiles says they’ll flip the usual midterm strategy on its head. Traditionally, sitting presidents take a back seat in the midterms, allowing local candidates to shape their own message. But Trump isn’t traditional — and he isn’t typical. As Wiles put it bluntly: “He’s a turnout machine.”
🚨NEW: Susie Wiles says Trump will “CAMPAIGN LIKE IT’S 2024 AGAIN” for Midterms🚨
“He’ll work very hard to keep the majority … Nobody can outwork him. So there’s every reason to be confident — but we have to actually get it done.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/C4GevJYCxH
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) December 8, 2025
The calculus is simple. Many of Trump’s supporters — particularly blue-collar, rural, and working-class voters — are not consistent midterm participants. They vote when they see him. They volunteer when they hear him. And they donate when he asks. That’s why Wiles says Trump will “campaign like it’s 2024 again,” barnstorming battlegrounds, energizing the base, and pulling up turnout for Republicans in swing districts.
But it’s more than a get-out-the-vote strategy. It’s a signal that the Trump presidency is not shrinking into the ceremonial role often seen in second terms. Between the 250th anniversary of the United States, the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup, the year is packed with patriotic, global events tailor-made for a president who thrives on spectacle and symbolism. Trump will not just attend — he’ll own those moments, using them to frame his administration as a time of renewed American greatness.
Wiles’s message is also a shot across the bow for Republicans who think they can run midterm races without the Trump brand. “He doesn’t help everybody,” she admitted, but when he does, it’s a “difference-maker.” That’s both a statement of fact and a gentle reminder to GOP candidates: don’t count him out — and don’t forget where the energy comes from.
