But what President Donald Trump is on the verge of accomplishing with Iran should leave the party in a good place for the coming midterm elections, Ryan Fournier, founder of Students for Trump, said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
An NBC News survey, conducted between May 29-June 7 included 2,400 registered voters and found that 49% prefer Democrats comparted to 44% for Republicans and 7% undecided.
The survey’s release comes as Trump’s approval rating has dipped to 42% among registered voters but before news of a pending deal to end hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.
According to reports, the deal initiates a 60-day window for intensive negotiations regarding Iran’s Nuclear program.
The Strait of Hormuz will open — which will take time as the U.S. works to remove an estimated 20 mines laid there — and the U.S. Naval blockade will be lifted.
“The reality here is that when you look at what we've just accomplished with Iran, with this historic deal, whether Iran does well or poorly, they can't have nuclear weapons. No nukes, open Strait, no terrorism and no taxpayer money. So, I think that what Trump has done is really strategic,” Fournier told show host Jenna Ellis.
The deal marks a new day in U.S.-Iran relations, he said.
“This is something no president has been able to pull off ever. They've never been able to successfully disarm Iran, and it's always just been these peace talks back and forth, promises made, never kept, but President Trump actually delivered on that. So, I'm really proud of what the administration has been able to accomplish,” Fournier said.
Not everyone agrees.
Dan Burwami, an author and an Islamic convert to Christianity, told Ellis the deal looks like Trump is interested only in short-term gains and that he’s kicking the Iran problem down the road.
Falling gas prices should help
Fournier says he sees the administration shifting focus to domestic issues and that declining gas prices will help where Republicans stand with voters.
On the AAA website, $4.04 was the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded today, June 16. The lowest price is $3.36 per gallon in Indiana. The highest average is $5.71 per gallon in California.
GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, has indicated that a national average gas price of $3.75 to $3.80 per gallon by July 4 is within the realm of possibility if current conditions hold.
In recent interviews and social media posts following the tentative U.S.-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, De Haan said the national average could fall to between $3.65 and $3.85 per gallon within three to four weeks, absent renewed conflict.
“That’s going to be really helpful for a lot of people traveling for the summer for vacations, but obviously there are no guarantees to anything, and it's all based on oil. So, I think we're going to see significant drops in prices, especially with gas,” Fournier said.
The administration needs to focus on grocery prices too, he said.
Democrats are hoping to flip both the House and Senate for the first time since 2006. In that midterm election, Democrats gained 31 seats in the House and six seats in the Senate, reclaiming control of both chambers for the first time since the 103rd Congress (1993–1995).
The victory was driven by widespread dissatisfaction with the Iraq War, the handling of Hurricane Katrina, and declining approval ratings of Republican President George W. Bush.
The margins are certainly manageable for the Democrats, who need to flip five House seats and four Senate seats while fending off Republicans against their own vulnerable incumbents in Georgia and Michigan.
Fournier believes Democrats have a strong chance to flip a Senate seat in North Carolina, his native state, with former Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper where Sen. Thom Tillis is retiring. Cooper is facing Republican Michael Whatley, the former national committee chair, who has been endorsed by Trump.
But the rest of the landscape still looks solid in traditional Republican strongholds, he says.
“I think Roy Cooper has a very, very good shot at it. As for everything else, I mean, like I've said, to look at Florida and to think that that's going to flip to Democrat, that's a stupid thought. The same thing with Texas. They've tried time and time again,” Fournier said.
Focus on the home agenda
The best thing Republicans can do is focus on their agenda, particularly at home.
“We’ve done enough with the foreign piece. We really need to put all our focus on what’s going on at home,” he said.
Fournier urges patience. November may not look far away on the calendar, but in a political campaign four-plus months can be a lifetime.
“One month is like a millennium when it comes to politics. Anything can change within a week. It’s just too early to tell. I think we need to just put our heads down and keep working and keep fighting for the American people and getting things done that actually benefit them,” he said.
