In face of record low disapproval, Congressional Republicans blame the media

Podcast Show Notes:Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ Let us know what to ask next!In our latest episode — Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) fires back at the premise that Republicans need to retool ahead of the midterms, telling Ask a Pol Politics the only thing needing a retool is the “legacy media” that “intentionally reports falsehoods.” He then touts GOP tax bill wins: a $50B rural healthcare bond, 89% of seniors paying zero taxes on Social Security, and a $15M death tax exclusion to protect family farms.Who?Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) — U.S. Army Special Forces veteranAsk a Pol asks:Republicans are at record low approval ratings — should GOP leaders retool the agenda ahead of the midterms?Key Van Orden:“The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “That’s what needs to be retooled.”TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (4-22-2026)Matt Laslo: “...with record low approval ratings — do you think you guys [should retool]?”Rep. Derrick Van Orden: “Me?”Laslo: “No, just for Congress.”Van Orden: “Oh, I don’t know. But should you guys retool? Should Republican leaders — should we — what? Retool it all ahead of the midterms or—”Laslo: “What’s that mean? Retool your focus. Retool the agenda.”Van Orden: “The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins. That’s what needs to be retooled.”Laslo: “They’re terrible. Really. Yeah.”Van Orden: “You get money back?”Laslo: “No.”Van Orden: “Guess what? On average, the American public individually and by family got back thousands and thousands of dollars they never got back. You know why? Because they wanted to get rid of the bill.”Laslo: “Yeah. There’s a $50 billion rural healthcare infrastructure bond.”Van Orden: “It’s the greatest expenditure on rural healthcare in the history of the country. 89% of all seniors are going to pay zero taxes on their social security.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Van Orden: “What about the farmers hurting? $15 million per person exclusion for federal taxes for the death tax to save family farms.”Laslo: “Yeah, that’s all there.”Van Orden: “Appreciate you. Stay dry.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe