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IrelandJohnson calls Trump "damaged goods" heading into the midterms
FRANCE 24 English's guest sees signs of a Democratic wave, but warns against treating the polls as a guarantee.
FRANCE 24 English
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 623,139 views a day, 53 times a normal first day on this channel (11,698).
Heading into the midterms, 'no US president in recent times has been as unpopular as Donald Trump'
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 1:42Johnson argues that Trump's unpopularity makes him a liability for Republicans heading into the midterms.
- 2:49He points to Latino voters in Texas as an important example of movement away from Republicans.
- 6:05Johnson explains polling adjustments after past errors and says the surveys, if correct, indicate a Democratic wave.
- 8:13He cautions against treating the polls as a certain prediction of the result.
- 9:00He links political pressure to fuel prices, agricultural trade difficulties and foreign policy.
- 12:12Johnson considers how a potential lame-duck period could change Republican congressional behavior and Trump's cabinet decisions.
FRANCE 24 English host Erin Ogunkeye puts a practical question to political scientist Richard Johnson: can Donald Trump's final campaign rallies still sway voters? His answer challenges the idea that the president is an asset for Republican candidates.
"Donald Trump is damaged goods at this point in his presidency," says Johnson, a senior lecturer in US politics at Queen Mary University of London. The interview has drawn about 440,000 views in 13 hours, far beyond the channel's usual opening-day audience for regular videos.
Johnson's argument goes beyond presidential popularity. He points to signs of Latino voters in Texas moving away from Republicans and considers whether parts of Trump's coalition might withdraw from voting rather than change parties. He links the political strain to fuel prices, trade-war pressures on Midwestern agriculture and disillusionment with the war in Iran.
But the interview's strongest prediction comes with a condition. "If the polling is correct, this is a major blue wave," Johnson says. Ogunkeye presents Times/Siena polling showing Democratic leads across several Senate battlegrounds, then asks whether surveys could again be overstating Democratic support. Johnson discusses changes in polling methods without offering certainty: "I wouldn't say bet the house on the polls."
The economic argument also runs through a separate FRANCE 24 report drawing an unusually large early audience. Fanny Allard's North Carolina farming report, made with Fraser Jackson, examines rising diesel and fertilizer costs and the effects of tariffs, asking whether those pressures have changed farmers' political loyalties.
A public research university in London and part of the University of London. It belongs to the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities.
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- Channel
- FRANCE 24 English
- Subscribers
- 3,700,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 8,341,619
- Channel views, pace per day
- 712,879 (on a normal day: 1,286,355)
- Video published
- November 2, 2026
- Video views so far
- 444,403 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 623,139
The numbers
The midterm interview has reached an unusually large early audience for FRANCE 24 English. Its views so far already exceed the channel's usual full first day by a wide margin.
💡 Test your knowledge
At which university does FRANCE 24's guest Richard Johnson teach US politics?
Johnson is introduced as a senior lecturer in US politics at Queen Mary University of London.