Trump's Hold on GOP 'Waning' After 'Terrible' Campaign Rollout: Toomey

Former President Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party is slipping after his "terrible" campaign rollout, Senator Pat Toomey said Sunday.

Trump announced his 2024 presidential bid in November, following an underwhelming midterm for Republicans after his endorsed candidates struggled to win in key races. His campaign thus far has been marred by courtroom losses, backlash after the midterms, and other scandals—prompting some in the GOP to distance themselves from the former president.

Specifically, he has faced scrutiny after a Manhattan jury ruled against the Trump Organization in a tax fraud case, for dining with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West—who has faced rebuke for making antisemitic comments. He also faced backlash for his call to "terminate" the U.S. Constitution and most recently his ridiculed release of a $99 digital trading card of himself.

Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who is set to retire at the end of the year, emphasized Trump's "waning influence on the GOP during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.

"The election outcome from last month I think dramatically accelerates the waning. And frankly, his unbelievably terrible rollout of his election campaign is also not helping him," Toomey said.

The senator added that Trump's influence was already on the decline before his recent scandals, though he acknowledged his grip lessened "not as quickly as I had hoped it would."

He pointed to some of his own constituents in the key swing state, which backed Trump in 2016, but voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, who have turned on the former president in recent weeks.

"In my travels after the election around Pennsylvania, I've heard from many, many formerly very pro-Trump voters that they think it's time for our party to move on," Toomey said, adding that the party won't turn away from Trump "overnight" and that he still has a "significant following."

When reached by Newsweek on Sunday, Toomey's office pointed to a past interview on CNBC, in which the senator said it was "always likely" Trump's influence would lessen.

"The ultra pro-Trump candidates who were all about election denialism—those guys went down in flames," he said. "Often at the same time that in the same state on the same day, a more conventional Republican won."

Toomey was one of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol. As a centrist, Toomey has been one of the GOP senators to speak out against Trump.

Republicans in Toomey's home state suffered difficult defeats during the midterms, as Trump-backed candidates in the gubernatorial and Senate races lost to their Democratic opponents. Democrats also swept the state's most competitive congressional races.

Polls Show Trump Support Slipping

Toomey's remarks come after several polls released last week pointed to troubling news for Trump.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last week found Trump trailing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 23 points in the primary. DeSantis is seen as Trump's strongest potential GOP rival, though he has not announced whether he will run for president. In a general election against Biden, Trump trailed by 7 points, according to the poll.

Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday found Trump's approval rating was only at 31 percent, the lowest since July 2015.

Still, other polls have yielded better results for Trump. A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll released earlier in December found Trump and Biden tied in a potential rematch of 2020.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment.

Update 12/18/2022 1:42 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include comment from Toomey's office.