Trump told by ex-GOP insider he 'played himself' by adopting 'among the dumbest ideas'

Nicole Charky-Chami
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:34:09 +0000
Midterms, Midterm elections, Executive order, Mail-in ballots, Republicans, Democrats, Maga, Donald trump

President Donald Trump's new executive order on mail-in ballots will likely backfire for Republicans in the midterms, former Republican strategist Rick Wilson warned on Wednesday.

In his Substack on Wednesday, the co-founder of The Lincoln Project outlined why telling his fractured MAGA base not to use mail-in voting — the system that won Republicans elections — could be "among the dumbest ideas" as a blue wave was anticipated to knock out Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House.

"This executive order is going to absolutely wreck one of the GOP’s most effective election tools, because even if they lose in court, the MAGA voter now says, 'Well… can’t do that mail-in ballot. George Soros has a secret army of gnomes in the mailbox to change my vote and make me trans!'" Wilson wrote.

"In the words of the poet and philosopher DJ Kahled [SIC]: 'Congratulations. You played yourself,'" Wilson added.

Wilson described what the real motive behind the executive order could be.

"Ultimately, this isn’t about security; it’s about fear," Wilson explained.

"Trump has lost the country," Wilson wrote. "He is despised. His polices are despised. His polling is dragging down MAGA candidates everywhere. His party is a hallelujah chorus that sings his praises when he sharts himself and declares his Depends smell of honeysuckle and rainbows. He’s wrecked the economy, destroyed our security, and harmed Americans economically, spiritually, and legally."

Trump and his administration have counted on creating chaos around the midterms.

"If you can’t win the argument, you break the machine," Wilson wrote. "Trump is betting that by the time the courts finally strike this down, the confusion, the delays, and the fear will have already done the heavy lifting for him. It’s a cynical play for a man who views democracy not as a shared inheritance, but as a system to be gamed, hacked, and discarded as soon as possible."