Republican lawmakers on Thursday were in a jubilant mood as they marked the passage of President Donald Trump’s signature “big, beautiful bill.”
But Fox News host Jessica Tarlov said some of them might not be celebrating next year, when they could face unexpectedly early retirement.
Polls show the bill ― which adds trillions to the debt, cuts taxes for the wealthy, and slashes Medicaid ― is deeply unpopular with the American public.
With midterm elections looming in 2026, Tarlov ― a rotating co-host of “The Five” ― wrote on X that moderate Republicans in particular will be at risk next year:
The bill is so unpopular that CNN data chief Harry Enten earlier this week showed it was underwater in five recent polls by between 19 and 29 percentage points.
“The American public at this particular point hate, hate, hate the ‘big, beautiful bill,’” he said. “As far as they’re concerned, it’s not a ‘big, beautiful bill,’ it’s a big, bad bill.”
Democrats also believe that Republicans who support the bill will pay the price at the polls next year.
“There are House Republicans now, this morning, who are about to sign their political obituary with this vote,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) told Reuters before the final votes were cast. “They are literally walking the plank for Donald Trump.”
The party that wins the White House often suffers in the midterm elections that follow. Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews expects that to be the case next year, as well, and said the passage of the bill won’t make things any easier for Republicans.
He estimated that Democrats could pick up between 15 and 20 seats ― more than enough to win control of the House.