In the face of a disappointing midterm election result, Republicans are blaming Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is blaming Republicans.
The party had hyped a “red wave” putting them back into power in Washington and around the country.
But at the current count, it is possible Republicans will lose ground.
Midterm elections are normally voters reacting to the president in power, but it seems that was not the case yesterday.
“There’s just a lot of negative attitudes about Trump,” Texas Republican congressman Troy Nehls said.
And Trump adviser Jason Miller urged the former president not to announce a 2024 bid next week, as expected.
“I’ll be advising him to delay it until after the Georgia runoff, assuming that’s where the race is still trending,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, Trump is reported to be fuming at others after the disappointing result.
New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, who has interviewed Trump dozens of times, reported the former president was particularly mad about failed Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
“Trump is indeed furious this morning, particularly about Mehmet Oz, and is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz – including his wife, describing it as not her best decision, according to people close to him,” she wrote.
“There are people pushing Trump to reschedule his announcement next week.”
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Many candidates who were pushed over the line in the primaries by Trump’s endorsement have now lost winnable races.
That includes gubernatorial candidates Tudor Dixon, Tim Michels and Doug Mastriano in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
In worse news for Trump, just about the only Republican who overperformed yesterday was his chief intra-party rival for the presidency.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was re-elected in a landslide in a state known for its close races.
The New York Post’s front page this morning was a photo of DeSantis at his victory party with the headline: “DeFuture”.
It’s readily apparent Trump views DeSantis as his strongest opponent, even threatening him in an interview the day before the election.
“I think if (DeSantis) runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,” Trump told reporters.
“If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”
It is not certain DeSantis will run against Trump, but when asked at a debate whether he would pledge to serve a full term as governor, he was lost for words.
Many votes remain to be counted in many key races, with control of the Senate and the House still uncertain.
