(CNN) — Some of President Donald Trump ’s closest allies in Congress are warning that the party needs to sharpen its affordability message to voters heading into the 2026 elections — or risk big losses that would shackle him for the rest of his second term.

“I would love him to get back to driving around in the garbage truck, going to McDonald’s. Go to a supermarket, go to a farm. That’s when he’s at his best,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew told CNN, recalling a message he conveyed to the president in a lengthy phone call earlier this week. “Next year, we got to concentrate — the American people first.”

Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican in a purple seat, said he’s not worried about his own reelection but is concerned for the political survival of “many of my friends, some people who won by one o

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