Trump looks at Republican midterm hopes and has a message for voters: ‘Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot’

“AIR FORCE VETERAN.

SMALL BUSINESSMAN.

TRUMP CONSERVATIVE.” The all-caps headline on Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz’s website used to align him with President Donald Trump.

Not anymore.

“NATIVE TEXAN.

AIR FORCE VETERAN.

SMALL BUSINESSMAN.

PROVEN CONSERVATIVE,” it reads now .

De La Cruz’s campaign rejected any suggestion he was backing away from the president, whose knack for mobilizing his loyalists remains critical for Republicans in this fall’s midterm elections.

The overwhelming majority of Republicans on the ballot this fall are embracing Trump despite his dismal approval ratings , an unpopular war with Iran and lingering inflation.

However, as the two-month sprint to Election Day begins, a small collection of Republican candidates have quietly begun to distance themselves in subtle ways from Trump now that they’ve won contested primaries in which his endorsement was often the most coveted prize.

The shift is easy to miss, often only a few words or new pictures.

And Republicans insist there is no shift at all.

Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called it a “manufactured storyline.” “President Trump and House Republicans have delivered historic results for the American people, and our candidates are eager to take that record directly to voters alongside the President on the campaign trail,” he said.