Our most recent book is The Comeback: The 2024 Elections and American Politics. It includes a chapter on congressional and state elections. In 2024, the book explains, the Democrats' problems involved reality, not just messaging. Two years later, Republicans own the reality problems, including the Iran quagmire and the resulting economic pain. Tariffs make things even worse. Indeed, it is hard to think of any president who has indulged in such needless midterm self-sabotage.
It goes beyond policy. He pushed weak Republican candidates for nomination in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, and elsewhere.
And his rhetoric has become an ammo dump for Democratic opposition researchers.
TRUMP on HIGH GAS PRICES: We’re making money like we’ve never made before. They’ll say: President Trump is bragging about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. I don’t give a damn. We’re making a freaking fortune. https://t.co/KZ2pYsTPyR
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 25, 2026
Trump: "Why do we always have to take people from shit house countries? We can't we take people from Norway and Sweden and Denmark? By the way, Denmark gave us Greenland ... what do you take, Venezuela or Greenland? We got them both!" https://t.co/M1WvEMP5Yy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 24, 2026
Trump: "Somalia -- 98% of the people here now from Somalia don't work. They don't have to work because they steal so much. They all have a Mercedes Benz. Low IQ and they live better than you do." https://t.co/J6dMA1JHfZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 24, 2026