AI Summary
5 min readTrump’s Midterm Strategy: More Trump, Lake Renames, and a Measles Crisis
On a week when Donald Trump officially renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” with a Sharpie in the Oval Office, the president also told his advisors he wants midterm voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” The Atlantic reported that Trump’s simple plan to win the 2026 midterms is “more Trump”—more ads about his own record, more events centered on himself, and a two-night “Trumpapalooza” convention in Dallas scheduled opposite NFL games in September. Meanwhile, measles cases hit a 35-year high, kindergarten vaccination rates hit a record low, and RFK Jr. blamed the outbreak on COVID lockdowns rather than his own anti-vaccine advocacy. The episode also covered the Supreme Court’s ruling on mail-in voting, John Ossoff’s opponent’s latest white nationalist staffer scandal, and an interview with South Carolina Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews.
The Lake America Strategy
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:43) **Welcome & Episode Preview** - Favreau and Feiffer tee up the day's topics: Trump renaming Lake Ontario, his plan to center the midterms on himself, RFK Jr.'s measles response, John Osoff's opponent's Nazi-linked staffer, and an interview with South Carolina Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews.
- 2 (04:25) **Trump's Lake Ontario Stunt & Approval Rating** - Trump signs an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," while his approval rating sinks 20 points underwater 67 days before the midterms.
- 3 (10:13) **Trump's "Pretend I'm on the Ballot" Strategy** - The Atlantic reports that Trump plans to buy midterm ads touting his own record, believing his presence turns out voters.
- 4 (18:39) **Trump's "Trumpalooza" Midterm Convention** - The RNC plans a two-night, prime-time convention in Dallas on September 9-10, branded as a "Trumpalooza," despite competing with NFL games.
- 5 (26:20) **Mail-In Voting Chaos & Supreme Court** - Trump's executive order limiting mail-in ballots faces legal limbo after the Supreme Court rules blue states lack standing, while the League of Women Voters' injunction still blocks implementation.
- 6 (32:00) **Measles Outbreak & RFK Jr.'s Blame Game** - Measles cases hit a 35-year high as vaccination rates drop, and RFK Jr. blames COVID lockdowns and Biden-era "gaslighting" rather than his own anti-vaccine advocacy.
- 7 (43:27) **Texas Senate Race: Talarico Leads Paxton** - A new poll shows Democrat Talarico up 6 points on Ken Paxton, while Trump campaigns in Texas calling Talarico "a little freaky."
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Show Notes
With his approval rating 20 points underwater, Donald Trump previews his new midterm strategy: telling voters to pretend he’s on the ballot. Jon and Dan break down how that will play, react to the president renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” and preview the Republican Party’s midterm convention.
They also discuss Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handling of a measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, new polling that has James Talarico up on Ken Paxton in Texas, and the unnerving number of Nazi-related scandals surrounding Mike Collins’s Senate campaign in Georgia.
Then, Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for Senate in South Carolina, talks to Dan about the momentum building for her campaign now that Darline Graham has won the Republican nomination.
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