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'Scared s--tless': Republicans brace for Trump's primetime speech

Politico · back to the audit
'Scared s--tless': Republicans brace for Trump's primetime speech.

President Donald Trump is promising to reveal "really big news" on election security. Many Republicans wish he wouldn't.

"The people I talk to are scared shitless," said a former Trump administration official, granted anonymity to speak candidly. "It's not scared shitless about the text of what he's going to say, it's, what does he add to the text?"

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said he'd reserve judgment until he heard what the president says but stressed that the economy is what's top of mind for most voters. "That's what I believe, but he's the president and he was elected by the people and he can talk about whatever he wants," he said.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said the revelations would be "the exact tonic the MAGA grassroots base need to fire them up." But Steve Cortes, a former Trump adviser, said that for persuadable voters, "talking about an election from six years ago sounds like sour grapes."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on speculation. "As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening. The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in," Leavitt said.

"I have no idea what the president will talk about tomorrow night, and nobody does because he hasn't talked yet. Am I concerned about election integrity? Yes. Do I think that we should pass voter ID in this body? Yes, we should," said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). "If you go poll Missourians, 'Do you like voter ID or not?' you're going to find it's overwhelming. It's like 80 percent of Missourians want voter ID."

A GOP senate campaign official, granted anonymity, said: "If we spend our time looking in the rearview mirror instead of through the windshield, we'll drive our coalition right off a political cliff." Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Wednesday that he didn't know what Trump will say but wants to look ahead. "The only thing I can tell you is we are focused on the 2026 election -- at least I am and I think most of my colleagues are," Thune said.