ATLANTA - The Georgia Suite sits on the 68th floor of this city's towering Westin hotel downtown, with floor to ceiling windows showcasing skyscraper and city views. From that high perch, the new chair of the Republican National Committee contemplatedthe high stakes of the 2026 election. If Democrats win back control of Congress,Donald Trump's presidency "is basically over," RNC Chair Joe Gruters, 48, an early Trump backer from Florida, told USA TODAY. While Trump'sapproval rating has fallen, it's still unclear whether Democrats can muster up enough support to re-take Congress. Gruters and others are taking no chances. He and the nation's top Republican leaders have been fanning out across a cavernous Atlanta hotel this week, putting more meat on the bones for their next nationwide campaign plan. While Trump may be term-limited, the president is also right thereworking to ensure his party remains in powerand that Democrats don't win subpoena power to launch investigations or try for a third impeachment against him. 85742810007 Trump has urged GOP states to redistrict to create more Republican-leaning House seats. He hastrumpeted a possible executive orderto curtail mail-in ballots. He is laying down an aggressive midterm strategy, and Republicans are gearing up to follow his lead. "The president's committed to winning," Gruters said. "The party's committed to winning." Their early maneuvering has Democrats crying foul, while also trying to keep up as the 2026 chessboard rapidly gets rearranged. "Trump has come to terms with the fact that he and his goons are going to get their (expletive) handed to them in the 2026 midterms, so they're doing everything they can to rig the system," Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder told USA TODAY as Republicans in his stateadvanced a new House map this week.California Democrats then quicklymoved forward with their own redrawn House mapto counter Texas. RNC members at the party's summer meeting told USA TODAY Trump is right to push a rare mid-decade redistricting. They staunchly defended the president's agenda in the face of polling showing aspects of it are unpopular, and dug in on a full throttle MAGA midterm message led by the president's handpicked RNC chair. "I'm a true believer that he is an agent of change," said Gruters, a former Florida GOP chair who co-chaired the president's Florida campaign efforts in 2016. Republicans from across the country gathered at the downtown Westin for campaign strategy sessions, a pep talk from Vice PresidentJD Vanceon Aug. 21 and to anoint Gruters as the new RNC chair on Aug. 22. The confab brought blue state, red state and swing state GOP leaders together. They face different midterm equations, from the feasibility of redistricting to the level of competitive races, but were unified in one message: Trump is delivering on his promises, the party is fully behind his agenda and it's the Democrats who are extreme. "It's nothing short of remarkable what the president has been able to accomplish in such a short time," said New Hampshire GOP National Committeewoman Mary Jane Beauregard. Democrats say Trump has pushed radical policies and is a budding authoritarian. The opening stretch of Trump's second term has pushed the limits of executive power as he works to overhaul the federal government, universities andleading cultural institutions.It has been marked by adisruptive trade agenda, punishmentof perceived adversariesand a massivedeportation effortthat has been challenged by civil liberties advocates. Beauregard said the president's policies are "common sense" and will appeal to moderates, arguing his record is "going to help us in the midterms." She pointed to Trump's positions on immigration and transgender athletes. Trump has emphasized cultural issues to portray Democrats as out of touch with voters, and RNC members argued that will continue to be an effective strategy. Michigan GOP Chair Jim Runestad said Trump's executive orders targeting "a lot of this woke stuff" have been a highlight of his second term, and a record to run on. Runestad was meeting with RNC staff in Atlanta to game out everything from where to locate GOP campaign offices to voter outreach and data analysis. Michigan has a number of competitive races that could help determine control of Congress. Trumpcarried the statein 2024. Runestad said the challenge will be to get his voters to turn out for the midterms. 85693469007 "I'm not saying that's going to be easy, that's going to be a yeoman's job," he said. The party in power typically loses congressional seats in the midterms, but Trump's aggressive agenda is turbocharging the opposition, which sees an opportunity in his sagging poll numbers to at least win the House and check his presidency. A Pew Research Centersurveyreleased this month found just 38% of Americans approve of the job Trump's doing, down nine points from right after his inauguration. Trump's tariffs are opposed by 61% of U.S. adults. A majority think the president is hurting how the federal government functions, and more people oppose his signature legislative achievement – dubbed the "One Big Beautifull Bill" - than support it, according to the Pew survey. More:Trump's approval rating dips again in new Pew survey, hits 38% Recent economic reports also showinflation creeping back upandjob growth slowing, presenting more potential challenges for the party in power. Republicans believeTrump's new law, which cuts taxes and programs such as Medicaid, will eventually gain in popularity as they ramp up to sell it, which Vance did with an event in Georgia Aug. 21 "As people understand what's in it they're going to be a lot happier," said Florida GOP chair Evan Power. Yet even as the party argues that Trump's agenda will prove a winning formula, GOP leaders are maneuvering to improve their midterm chances through efforts such as redistricting. Missouriand Florida are among the GOP-controlled states contemplating joining Texas in drawing more Republican-leaning House seats. "It's our turn," David Lightner, a Republican national committeeman from Missouri, said of redistricting, adding: "The strongest will survive and I think we feel strong right now." Power said aFlorida redistricting push backed by Gov. Ron DeSantiscould create up to four more GOP-leaning seats. Like many Republicans, he countered criticism of the effort by arguing that Democrats have engaged in their own gerrymandering, the drawing of seats for political gain. Florida has been at the forefront of much of what the GOP is focused on for the 2026 cycle. The Republican-controlled Legislature drew new GOP seats during the last redistricting and has pushed throughmultiple changes to election lawsthat put new restrictions on voting. Meanwhile, Florida has shifted from purple to solidly red thanks in part to a strong voter registration push by the Florida GOP that erased a Democratic registration advantage. The state's voting restrictions are in line with an "election integrity" push by the RNC largely centered around legal actions, which will remain a top priority, Gruters said. Florida's shift from a swing state to a red state – Trump carried Florida by3.3 points in 2020and13.1 in 2024- occurred when Gruters was the chair of the Florida GOP and is partly, he said, why the president tapped him to lead the national party. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Can Trump and the GOP beat the midterm odds - and history - in 2026?