After President Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the cost of living in America is projected to rise. For Trump, who campaigned on bringing down the cost of groceries in 2024, this may continue to negatively affect his approval ratings.
With the 2026 midterm elections quickly approaching, Republicans will need to be careful that inflation and costs don’t become an anchor on candidates next year.
Republican strategist and ROKK Co-Founder, Ron Bonjean, spoke with The Hill about how the tariffs could impact both Republican and Democratic messaging going into the midterms.
Ron Bonjean, ROKK Partner and Republican strategist, joined BBC World News’ ‘The Context’ to share his insights on the recent headlines worldwide and in the United States.
President Trump set a Friday deadline for Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace deal. If they cannot reach an agreement, Trump has threatened heavy sanctions on Russia as well as secondary sanctions on countries such as India that trade with Russia. Ron shared his thoughts, saying that Trump’s previous approach wasn’t working to get Putin to the table and because of that, he has pivoted to a harsher stance Russia to get closer to a peace deal. Will the threat of sanction be enough of an influence? Only time will tell, however, many other countries have attempted to fall in line following their own harsh sanctions which could be an indicator of how this may play out.
The conversation switched to the situation in Gaza and Israel, with top leaders recently writing an open letter to President Netanyahu, urging him to cut back on the military campaign. Instead, reports say that Netanyahu has decided to widen the military operation in Gaza which conflicts with Trump’s proposed aid to those suffering in Gaza. Ron discussed the tough duality to navigate between ensuring Hamas does not grow in power while making sure humanitarian efforts are effective, which many Americans support.
Lastly the panelists shared their thoughts on the redistricting fight in Texas where Texas Democrats have left the state to slow down efforts to give Republicans more districts, heading into the 2026 midterms. Ron believes this battle over redistricting ultimately widening the divide between Republicans and Democrats and it will not help Americans in an already split political environment.
Watch the full panel discussion below.
As both parties map out their 2026 midterm strategies, Georgia and North Carolina are two closely watched battleground states. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced he will not run while former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) announced he will.
Senate Democrats received a massive boost as former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced he will be entering the race for Senate, delivering the party its biggest recruiting victory of the cycle.
Speculation surrounding a possible Cooper bid hit a fever pitch in recent weeks after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced that he would not be running for reelection.
A busy week in Washington leading up to summer recess included the House passing the GENIUS Act, the rescissions package and the precedent it sets and the ongoing Epstein files story.
Ron Bonjean, ROKK Co-Founder and Republican strategist, joined SiriusXM’s The Julie Mason Show to discuss a major news week. The largest of these stories was The Wall Street Journal’s unearthing of a letter from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, bringing fresh speculation around Trump’s relationship with Epstein. They also discussed Republicans’ messaging strategy for the “Big Beautiful Bill” and uncertainty around 2026 midterm predictions. Listen to his full interview with Julie Mason here.
The Democratic Party’s credibility with voters has plummeted since the 2024 election, according to a poll conducted by Unite the Country, a Democratic super PAC. The poll showed voters perceived the Democratic Party as “out of touch,” “woke” and “weak,”raising alarm bells as the party looks to rebuild ahead of the midterms and next presidential election.
ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Rodell Mollineau, who also serves as a senior advisor to Unite the Country, shared his thoughts on the poll’s insights with The Hill.
President Trump muscled a 900-page package through a closely divided Congress—and that might have been the easy part.
The tax and policy bill, which Trump dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” encompasses much of his second-term agenda. Trump managed to sign it by his own Fourth of July deadline.
Ron Bonjean, ROKK Partner and Co-Founder, shared his thoughts with NPR on Trump’s continuous uphill battle of promoting the bill’s benefits.
As Congress works to pass President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the public feud between Elon Musk and Trump has resurfaced. Musk, the world’s richest man, stated that he will back primary challengers against any Republicans who support Trump’s megabill.
ROKK Partner and Republican strategist Ron Bonjean shared his thoughts on the feud and what it means for the Republican Party in The Hill.
Following the U.S. bombing in Iran, Washington has been reacting to the lack of congressional oversight and whether the strike advanced the U.S.’s goals to set back Iran’s nuclear program. ROKK Partner, Kristen Hawn, joined Bloomberg’s Balance of Power to discuss this and other headlines this week. Listen to Balance of Power Late Edition here.
