CNN undercuts Trump's 'landslide' boast – and adds a warning

Boasts by Donald Trump and his allies that he was swept back into office in a "landslide" does not hold up under scrutiny based upon an analysis by CNN's Zachary Wolf who also noted that the numbers suggest there are warning signs on the horizon in the 2026 midterms.

In his column, Wolf wrote that the former president may claim he was the recipient of a stunning wave of voters last Tuesday, but recent history reveals he didn't even come close.

As the analyst notes, there are two different metrics: actual voter totals and the number of Electoral College votes awarded. Neither prop up Trump's claims.

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With Tuesday's votes still being tabulated, the Electoral College tally is unlikely to change, with the president-elect landing 312 EC votes which, according to the CNN analyst: "It’s a solid win, but in the lower half of US presidential elections."

"It would be a better showing than either his or Joe Biden’s 306 electoral votes in 2016 and 2020, respectively. It would also outperform both of George W. Bush’s electoral victories in 2000 and 2004," he wrote before adding, " But it would be far short of Barack Obama’s 365 electoral votes in 2008 and 332 in 2012. Bill Clinton never reached 50% in the popular vote because both of his presidential elections featured a strong third-party candidate in Ross Perot. But Clinton did run away with the Electoral College vote, winning 370 electoral votes in 1992 and 379 in 1996."

Those numbers pale next to fellow Republican Ronald Reagan's 1984 total of 525 electoral votes as well as 58% of the popular vote.

As for those popular votes, "Both Richard Nixon in 1972 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 exceeded 60% in the popular vote for their reelection campaigns, something that seems impossible in today’s political climate. It’s also incredible to think that two such massive landslides would occur within eight years."

With that in mind, Wolf suggested Trump's purported landslide may look worse in 2026.

Trump will never be on a presidential ballot again, because the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms. But voters will get an opportunity to weigh in on how he and Republicans use their power in two years, during the 2026 midterm elections, he wrote. "The past three presidents, including Trump in his first term, all lost control of the House after their first two years in office. If Trump does end up with a friendly Republican majority this year, he’ll have to work hard to keep voters on his side two years from now."

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