Two major outlets are pushing the line that Trump's coalition is fracturing ahead of the midterms — but their own reporting reveals they're propping up a single disgruntled ex-supporter and a notorious Never Trump operative to manufacture a trend that millions of working-class voters don't recognize.
With Trump launching a 32-day campaign blitz and Republicans defending narrow congressional majorities, the establishment press is working to frame the midterms as a repudiation in progress. The stake for ordinary Americans is simple: are they getting an honest read on where the country stands, or another curated anecdote dressed up as data?
Raw Story's headline blares: "'I would hate myself': Trump voter admits she can't vote for his 'dirty socks' candidate." The piece centers on Terrie Kieper, 57, of Garland, Texas. Raw Story calls her a "Trump voter." The fine print: Kieper is an independent who voted for Trump once, in 2016, then voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. That is not a Trump voter having second thoughts. That is a voter who left the coalition eight years ago and has pulled the Democratic lever ever since.
Raw Story also quotes Tamara Berger, 56, of Seguin — a three-time Trump voter who defends Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton. "He's an American through and through," Berger said. "Nobody is perfect." She shrugged off Paxton's personal baggage: "We've all had personal grievances. So has Biden. So has Clinton. So has pretty much every other politician." That quote didn't make the headline.
The Guardian, meanwhile, trots out Steve Schmidt — the Republican strategist who helped launch the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump outfit that became a media darling — to declare Trump's rallies "the engine of his doom" and insist "the American people are sick and tired of him." Schmidt is presented as a neutral analyst, not as a paid anti-Trump operative who has spent years working against the president.
The Guardian does include the other side. Blake Marnell, a rally regular, dismissed the liability narrative outright: "How many years now have we heard critics saying that Trump is done, the end is near, the walls are closing in... They've written him off so many times, I don't know why people listen when they say things like that."
On the actual numbers: The Guardian reports Trump's approval rating is at an "all-time low" and cites voter anger over the cost of living, the Iran war, and immigration crackdowns. Raw Story notes a Texas Southern University poll finding 55% of likely voters view Paxton unfavorably, with Democrat James Talarico narrowly leading. Paxton was impeached by the Republican-led Texas House in 2023 on bribery-related charges and acquitted by the state Senate. His wife filed for divorce on "biblical grounds" in 2025.
The press has been writing Trump's political obituary since 2015. Maybe this time the numbers bear them out. But when outlets brand a Biden-Harris voter as a "Trump voter" to sell a regret narrative, and pass off a Lincoln Project founder as a straight analyst, Americans are entitled to ask whether they're reading reporting or storytelling.
