Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) reportedly called President Trump to urge him to focus on the economy in his final message to voters before the midterms.
Politico, citing an anonymous source, reported that Ryan made the phone call on Sunday. But Trump reportedly responded by bragging that his focus on issues related to immigration had fired up his base.
{mosads}The news comes just days before what could be pivotal midterm elections, as Democrats attempt to seize on opposition to Trump to earn a majority in the House and possibly the Senate.
Trump has escalated his rhetoric about immigration in the final weeks leading up to Election Day. He’s gone so far as to label a group of Central American migrants traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border an “invasion.”
Last week, he also released an ad that showed Luis Bracamontes, a deported Mexican immigrant who returned to the U.S. and killed two police officers in 2014, bragging in court about killing the officers.
The ad features a narrator asking, “Who else would Democrats let in?”
Politico reports that some Republicans are now fearful Trump’s obsession with immigration could lead to further losses on Tuesday.
“Trump has hijacked the election,” one senior House Republican aide told the news outlet. “This is not what we expected the final weeks of the election to focus on.”
Democrats appear to have a solid chance to retake a majority in the lower chamber. Meanwhile, Republicans appear to be the favorites to hold onto a Senate majority.
Trump on Friday admitted that Republicans may lose a majority in the House while speaking at a rally in West Virginia.