Republicans see hope for midterms, despite Trump's unpopularity

It’s “looking much better than horrible numbers last month,” one attendee said.

Indeed, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) concluded that the tax bill had reversed the GOP’s flagging fortunes ahead of the critical midterm elections. If Republicans lose either the House or Senate, Trump could face impeachment threats and difficult confirmation battles for the rest of his presidency.

So the two leaders urged their fellow Republicans to talk taxes as much as they could given recent movement in public opinion, with Ryan citing several polls that showed Republicans gaining ground since the tax bill passed late last year. Indeed, a new Monmouth University poll on Wednesday showed that the Democrats’ 15-point advantage in the generic ballot had narrowed to 2 points.