Republicans face a steep uphill fight to retain their House and Senate majorities this midterm, and critics on social media argue the party may be climbing entirely the wrong hill. The party holds a narrow House majority, meaning Democrats need to flip only a handful of seats to take control, and the president's party has historically lost ground in midterm elections—a pattern Johnson himself appeared to acknowledge in calling it "one of our toughest elections."

The conservative X account Republicans against Trump appeared to roll its eyes while reposting Speaker Mike Johnson's strategy for re-electing Republicans this November: plastering campaigns with President Donald Trump's face.

"The president's gonna look right in the camera and say, 'I am on the ballot.' Because even though his name isn't, right, his administration, his legacy, the America-first agenda is," Johnson said, speaking at a rally for Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas). "We gotta get people to turn out."

"Hold the majority. Hold the majority," Johnson added, quoting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, while acknowledging "this is one of our toughest elections."

Critics swiftly rattled Johnson's post in the replies.

"Great idea, Mike," said one progressive account. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Hey – this works for me," said another.

"He wants to guarantee a Democratic landslide," intoned another.

The hecklers tore into Johnson's advice because Trump's polling is arguably lower than it has ever been across his two terms as president.

CNN data analyst Harry Enten reported on Friday that, as of the end of August, polls show Trump 21 points underwater, leaving him "stuck" in the basement.

"How low does he go?!" Enten said. "Well, this is a president who is stuck on empty. Stuck on neutral. Whatever kind of gas analogy you want to make."

"The president's approval rating, simply put, is low. His net approval rating is low. It is staying low, and there is no sign he's getting out of the basement. He's stuck on the ground," Enten added, comparing Trump's numbers to those of former President George W. Bush, who lost his large majority after the September 11 attacks. Bush's approval collapse preceded Republican losses in the 2006 midterms, when the GOP lost both chambers of Congress.

With fewer than 70 days before the election, Enten said it is clear Trump is "stuck" for good heading into November, and that he "simply doesn't see it going anywhere." How individual Republican candidates navigate that dynamic—embracing Trump to mobilize his base, as Johnson urges, or distancing themselves in competitive districts—remains one of the central questions of the closing stretch of the campaign.

For progressive X posters, that was reason to cheer Johnson's plan to make the midterms all about Trump.

"The fact that they STILL tie themselves to him is just ... beyond weird. Almost a third of the country is registered as independent now (me) and I'm not sure this makes any sense. Wait, I'm SURE it doesn't make sense," said another heckler on X.