Fox News host Laura Ingraham is accusing some members of President Donald Trump’s own party of being willing to lose their House majority in November.
During Thursday’s edition of The Ingraham Angle, Ingraham suggested that Republican lawmakers’ failure to aggressively promote the administration’s economic record may reflect more than a weak campaign message.
“But how many Republicans secretly want Trump to lose?” Ingraham asked during a discussion with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, according to Mediaite.
Ingraham went on to argue that some Republicans on Capitol Hill could be comfortable returning to the minority because it would free them from the responsibility of advancing Trump-backed legislation. She did not identify any lawmakers or present evidence that members had privately expressed such a preference.
A Messaging Breakdown — Or Something More?
The accusation came as Ingraham and Kudlow questioned why Republicans have not made income gains a centerpiece of their midterm pitch.
New Census Bureau data show inflation-adjusted median household income rose 2.6% in 2025 to $87,460, the highest level recorded since the agency began tracking the measure in 1967. Post-tax median household income climbed 3.1% from 2024, although it remained below the pandemic-era levels reached when federal stimulus payments and expanded tax credits were in effect.
The report also carried a significant caveat: income at the 10th percentile did not change by a statistically significant amount from the previous year. That helps explain the split-screen facing Republicans — encouraging top-line income data alongside persistent voter anxiety about everyday costs.
A Fox News poll conducted Sept. 11–14 found that 62% of registered voters considered grocery prices a major problem for their families and 61% said the same about gasoline. In the same survey, Democrats led Republicans 51% to 44% on the generic House ballot, a seven-point advantage just outside the poll’s three-point margin of sampling error.
The broader RealClearPolitics polling average showed Democrats ahead by 8.6 points as of Friday.
GOP Leaders Push Back With Their Own Map
Republican leaders are publicly rejecting the idea that the House is already lost.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told Axios that Republicans see a route to retaining control, with the party focused on roughly 35 competitive seats. Scalise said the GOP must turn the campaign into a choice between the parties and close an enthusiasm gap that has appeared in recent elections and surveys.
That public confidence stands in sharp contrast to Ingraham’s theory about the private views of some lawmakers. The polling and voter frustration explain why the accusation is landing at a tense moment for the party.
With control of the House at stake, Ingraham is no longer merely asking why Republicans have struggled to sell their record. She is questioning whether every member of the party truly wants to keep the burden of governing.
