Overview
- President Trump has ordered advisers to produce television ads that celebrate his record as a way to create a national ‘‘environmental lift’’ for the 2026 midterms and to push supporters to ‘‘pretend’’ he is on the ballot.
- MAGA Inc., the pro‑Trump super PAC, made its first big play by spending more than $800,000 on voter contacts and ads to help Darline Graham win a narrow Republican Senate primary runoff in South Carolina.
- Graham credited Trump for materially boosting turnout in the Pee Dee region, and her victory came in a close race that several outlets reported as decided on Tuesday.
- Republican operatives are split because MAGA Inc. holds a large war chest but has not clearly committed to broad, timely spending, leaving fearful candidates unsure whether funds will be spent late or funneled to loyalists.
- Coverage diverges on Trump’s strength with some outlets saying he remains the party’s dominant kingmaker and others noting a string of narrow wins and recent losses that suggest his endorsement power may be weakening; party leaders now face a test at the Sept. 9–10 Dallas midterm convention and in the weeks before November.