Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican vying for a third term in deep‑red South Dakota, has removed multiple mentions of President Donald Trump from his campaign website as Trump’s approval rating hits a record low.
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The website once highlighted “Endorsed by President Trump” and displayed a photo of Rounds boasting the endorsement, but those elements have been scrubbed, according to a cached version reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Rounds’ campaign advisor Rob Skjonsberg told Fox News Digital that the president’s endorsement remains prominent in the announcement video, noting that focusing on general‑election messaging is standard practice.
Trump had praised Rounds last year, calling him an “incredibly strong advocate” and pledging his “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re‑Election.”
A recent Fox News poll placed Trump’s overall approval at 39%, with voters citing cost‑of‑living concerns, grocery prices, fuel costs and the Iran war as top displeasures.
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The same poll showed a majority of respondents rated the economy negatively, and nearly half of Republicans shared that view.
Rounds faces independent challenger Brian Bengs, a former Democrat who ran against Senate Majority Leader John Thune in 2022 and now campaigns as a political outsider.
Bengs said he is not running against the president, arguing that the timing of Rounds’ reduced Trump references coincides with falling poll numbers and heavy spending by Rounds’ wealthy donors.
South Dakota remains classified as “Solidly Republican” by the Cook Political Report, yet other GOP candidates in competitive races, such as Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa and former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, have publicly distance themselves from Trump’s policies on the war and data centers.
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Rounds’ campaign advisor dismissed Bengs as an “unlikable carpetbagger” and accused a Biden communications firm of spreading “garbage” to distract voters.
The advisor reiterated pride in the president’s endorsement, insisting it stays front and center while Bengs pushes higher taxes, gun restrictions and expanded Obamacare.
Alex Miller, a writer for Fox News Digital, covers the U.S. Senate.
