Donald Trump’s cure for Republicans’ midterm woes is more Trump. Will it work?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump likes to play make-believe with his supporters. “Just close your eyes,” he tells them, “and pretend I’m on the ballot.” It’s a typically self-involved appeal from someone who has been the center of the nation’s political gravity for more than a decade. Now, he’s finishing the midterms with a cross-country blitz of campaign rallies that allow him to bask in applause when he’s otherwise profoundly unpopular. In a year marked by the war with Iran, fears about artificial intelligence, redistricting fights, high energy prices and increasing concerns about the cost of living, Trump’s deeply personal approach might be the election cycle’s biggest gamble. Republicans still love the president, who remains dominant even as he approaches the back half of his second term. But his approval ratings are low enough to potentially sink his party and its bid to…