Trump administration lawyers are holding private briefings for the president’s staff to remind them how the government is actually supposed to work as polls forecast staggering GOP losses at the midterms.
The White House Counsel’s office has apparently been refreshing aides on how to navigate congressional oversight given surveys that suggest Democrats are increasingly likely to retake control of the House come November, the Washington Post reports citing two people familiar with the matter.
Those briefings have featured PowerPoint presentations on oversight procedures, as well as encouragements to take care over what’s put down in writing and guidance on how to promptly handle lawmakers’ requests for information.
“It’s obvious to everyone that it’s very likely,” an official told the newspaper of Democrats’ prospects of retaking Congress, possibly even the Senate, later this year. “It was a sober-eyed conversation,” they added of the briefings.
The Silver Bulletin, a political data and analysis site run by statistician Nate Silver, currently puts the Democrats at an almost six-point lead over Republicans in the race for control of both chambers.
Democrats need to flip just three seats to retake the House, with electoral analysis site the Cook Political Report shifting a string of GOP-held districts in Democrats’ favor.
The Senate map is only slightly steeper, requiring a net gain of four, with the outlet’s toss-up ratings in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina and Alaska putting a majority in reach.
Driving those shifts has been Trump’s plummeting approval ratings on everything from his performance on flagship policies in immigration and the economy to his deeply unpopular war in the Middle East.
The president’s numbers currently sit at a miserable 37 percent of voters who approve of his second term in office, reminiscent of the approval he received in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 riots in 2021.
The Daily Beast contacted the White House for comment on this story. “This is nothing new,” an official said. “White House Counsel has provided guidance to relevant stakeholders to ensure oversight compliance and that best practices are followed since January 2025.”
