All posts tagged "midterms"

'They're going to get destroyed': CPAC attendee delivers brutal verdict on GOP

A young voter at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, on Thursday delivered a bleak outlook on the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Conservatives were gathering in suburban Dallas, Texas, for the event, which was the first time that President Donald Trump did not attend after taking over as the Republican Party leader. CNN senior reporter Steve Contorno was talking to attendees and describing the ongoing conversations around MAGA and its future, the Iran war and concerns about Trump's "America First" mentality.

"I think they're going to get destroyed in the midterms. I just get the vibe," CPAC attendee Alexander Selby told CNN.

"A lot of people I knew who just voted for Trump because they thought it was cool. In like high school or just now just being like, 'I can't stand the guy," Selby said.

Trump losing top Fox News ally as MAGA host warns of 'cascading problems'

President Donald Trump has apparently started to lose support from one of his loyal Fox News allies as doubts rise over his decision to continue the war against Iran, according to reports on Thursday.

Fox News host and conservative ally Laura Ingraham had a skeptical response to the Trump administration's war on Wednesday night during a live broadcast, Media Matters for America reported. Ingraham warned that as the United States escalates its military action in the Middle East, it could prompt dire and "unintended consequences." She argued that Trump and his administration should focus on America's economy and political situation.

" Iran knows it cannot win militarily, so it's using the leverage it has by prolonging the conflict," Ingraham said during her monologue leading the show. "Now, what do they want to do? They want to inflict maximum economic pain on the region, on the U.S., [on] the global economy as much as possible until they think Trump relents. But the White House doesn't seem to be blinking."

The host pointed to a clip featuring White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said during a press briefing on Wednesday that "President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell."

Ingraham described why Leavitt's comments were problematic and what that could mean for not just Iran, but the region as a whole, especially as Republicans anticipate tough midterms ahead.

"Well, the problem is obviously unleashing hell means destroying infrastructure, which itself causes a series of cascading problems for the region, including maybe outside the region — political problems for the president in a midterm election year," Ingraham said.

Trump has often looked to Fox News and its voices to gain further insights and potentially influence his next moves.

"The power struggle is significant — it is not an exaggeration to suggest the course of the war might hinge on which Fox shows the president is watching," according to the outlet.

And although Ingraham could be one of the few Fox News broadcasters expressing concerns about the Iran war, her voice could carry some weight.

"Ingraham is inching toward the type of dissent that has been virtually absent from Fox’s coverage of the war, even as the broader right-wing media has split," according to Media Matters for America. "Her colleagues have played key roles in convincing Trump to attack in the first place and are pushing for risky escalations. Ingraham herself briefly quibbled with Trump’s handling of an apparent U.S. strike that leveled an Iranian school, killing scores of children, but had supported the war itself, which she declared three weeks ago that Trump had already won."

'Your district is in danger': Florida Republicans get brutal midterm message

Democrats had a tough response for Republicans in Florida after flipping two GOP districts blue — a potential sign of what could be expected come midterms this fall.

The major wins follow several other Democratic victories in the 2025 elections that revealed the party has gained ground in historically Republican districts or have won those races altogether, according to a Politico report published Wednesday.

"This comes after elections that saw President Donald Trump easily win the state in 2024 and Gov. Ron DeSantis romp to a 19-point victory in 2022, but also as Democrats across the country have flipped more than two dozen state seats during the president’s second term," Politico reported.

“My message to Republicans is this: Your district is in danger,” said Nikki Fried, Florida Democratic Party Chair.

Voters, reacting to the Trump administration's policies and overall dissatisfaction, elected Democrats Emily Gregory in the state House and Brian Nathan in the state Senate. It might signal a national trend to come.

"I think we’re in the middle of a big, big wave," said Howard Richman, the chair of the Palm Beach County Democrats.

Ex-Trump White House official warns America to take Bannon's dark warning 'very seriously'

Former Trump administration Homeland Security staffer Miles Taylor signaled that Steve Bannon's recent warning about President Donald Trump using federal immigration agents at airport security checkpoints as a "test run" for the upcoming midterms should be taken seriously.

In an exclusive interview with Raw America and Raw Story founder John Byrne, Taylor described how he has long expected Trump would try to use federal law enforcement in an attempt to intimidate Americans at the polls.

"We have seen militia groups around the country in previous elections, including elections in which Donald Trump has been a candidate, go to the polls with black jackets on and with rifles to try to scare people in those districts from going to vote," Taylor said. "And now, it seems to be the type of thing that the president's allies, at least, are encouraging him to do around election season. And Donald Trump has flirted with that idea. That's alarming."

Taylor argued that Bannon's claims last week could be realistic, and that attorneys general, secretaries of state, and local leaders should be ready to take legal action and prepare before it's too late.

"I do see the ICE agents being sent to airports, just like Steve Bannon says, as a test run," Taylor said. "We should take Bannon at his word. And remember, yeah, does Bannon say a lot of crazy things that don't come to fruition? A fair number. But I'd say far more things that he predicts and encouraged this administration to do indeed come to fruition. We need to take that very seriously. We're not in fiction territory anymore."

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Trump DHS Chief Calls for Dismantling ICE by Raw America

Former Trump official says that we should be worried about ICE at polling places in the midterms, and that Trump may trade Taiwan to China.

Read on Substack

'We've set up the enemy': Trump biographer claims there's a sinister midterm plan in place

Donald Trump has already built an excuse if the Republican Party gets a midterm election drubbing in November, according to his biographer.

The president has seemingly cleared a path for a case against the Democratic Party performing well by trying to push the SAVE Act through Congress — a bill many have said he knows has no chance of passing.

Michael Wolff told The Daily Beast, "Let’s assume this [bill] is not going to pass. So why is he doing this?

"The reason he is doing this is to set up and to continue the narrative when he loses the midterms. This then becomes the reason he lost the midterms, and he lost the midterms illegitimately…we’ve set up the enemy here."

Should the SAVE Act pass, it would mean citizens are hit with major restrictions on how they vote, including requiring voter ID and tougher measures taken against those who vote by mail.

It should be no surprise, according to Wolff, that Trump has pushed forward with this as a potential excuse if the GOP underperforms at the November elections.

"He’s pushing this forward because he has pushed this story forward from day one of his political career," he said. "That’s what, essentially, his politics is founded on, this... narrative."

Podcast host Joanna Coles asked, "So if he wins, the system is perfect. And if he loses, the system is rigged." Wolff replied, "Yes, but he’s not going to win. So the system is going to be rigged."

Trump has tried to pressure Republican reps into making the SAVE Act law ahead of the elections, though the GOP appears to be split on whether to give in to the president.

He took to Truth Social earlier this week and wrote, "Democrats are desperate to keep illegals, no matter how bad or dangerous they may be, in the Country. They want them to VOTE! That’s why they are fighting so hard to neutralize ICE. We will fight them all the way, and WIN."

Trump's allies admit they're resorting to desperate 'gimmicks' to keep gas down: report

The Trump administration was reportedly looking for ways to drop gas prices at the pump, according to a Bloomberg report on Monday.

President Donald Trump has touted lowering oil prices throughout his campaign and first year of his second term, but as the Iran war hits its fourth week and oil prices skyrocket, his allies are aiming to make new moves ahead of the midterms this fall, Bloomberg's Nancy Cook reported.

"I’m told Cabinet members like Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, staff at the National Economic Council and the National Energy Dominance Council as well as other White House aides are soliciting ideas from policy experts, donors and energy executives as they struggle to limit the economic damage inflicted by the war," Cook wrote.

"Today, Trump himself backed down from threats he made over the weekend to begin hitting Iran’s energy infrastructure in 48 hours after allies and Gulf countries warned the president about the consequences and oil prices spiked," Cook explained.

Trump allies were apparently tasked with sharing potential remedies.

"Among the myriad ideas floated to the administration for consideration are asking Congress to suspend the federal gas tax; releasing more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve once the current release is finished and fast-tracking drilling permits, according to people familiar with the internal discussions," Cook reported. "A White House official said while there are many options on the table, the administration at this time isn’t pursuing a gas tax holiday or an additional SPR release."

"One Trump ally acknowledged a lot of this was 'gimmicky' but said the White House has to show it’s taking action before the midterms, which inevitably will turn on the economy," Cook added. "With Republican control of Congress at risk, Trump has put his political team in a bit of a quagmire with ostensibly no clear strategy or timeline for ending the war."

Trump told impeachment now the 'least of your problems': 'Nothing will save you, Donald'

Former Republican operative Rick Wilson had a message for President Donald Trump about who would target him next.

The co-founder of The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump organization, described in his Substack post on Wednesday how as Trump's approval rating plummets, gas prices surge, and the Iran war rages on, Trump is looking at no escape.

Instead, "Misery, humiliation, and shame await," Wilson argued.

"Nothing will save you now, Donald," Wilson wrote. "Not the war. Not the lies. Not today’s loyalists, tomorrow’s traitors. Not the terrified little men orbiting your shrinking political sun. Not the algorithms, not the oligarchs, not the endless stream of garbage Fox and Twitter propaganda pumped into the veins of a movement that’s finally, visibly, unmistakably breaking apart. You chose this."

Wilson called out Trump's biggest fear — impeachment. But even that shouldn't make him worry. There was another looming threat.

"You’re afraid of impeachment. Of course you are," Wilson wrote. "It’s the word that haunts you, the specter you can’t quite outrun.
But impeachment is the least of your problems. What you should fear, what should keep you pacing the halls of the Residence at three in the morning, is oversight. Relentless, grinding, methodical exposure."

The ex-GOP strategist suggested that more investigation could come from lawmakers. And as Republicans approach midterms and Democrats hope to take back the majority, Trump might have another problem on his hands.

"A Democratic House and Senate won’t just vote on articles of impeachment," Wilson wrote. "They’ll open the books. They’ll drag the secrets into the light. They’ll subpoena documents, bank records, and communications. They’ll put your allies, your bagmen, your enablers, and yes, your crapulous, scumbag low-tier crypto criminal family members, on the hot seat."

Trump's allies might also be called to testify before Congress.

"And it won’t just be you," Wilson wrote. "The tech-bro billionaire class that decided, in a fit of adolescent contrarianism and naked self-interest, to hitch their wagons to your movement? They’re next in line. Let’s see how Boy Elon does under the hot lights for 8 hours a day for two weeks."

Even Elon Musk, or others who have funded Trump, could have to face justice, Wilson explained.

"They’ve been very comfortable lavishing you with swag and praise, funding, amplifying, and cheering on the chaos, convinced that they were too rich, too smart, too insulated to ever face real consequences," Wilson added. "Congressional oversight is about to disabuse them of that notion. Subpoenas don’t care about your net worth. Hearings don’t care about your follower count. Under oath is a very different environment than a podcast or a tweet. They’re about to find out."

Trump's 'ginned up panic' threatens to backfire — and strip Republicans of vote: analyst

The SAVE ACT that Donald Trump is desperate to pass through in time for the upcoming midterms could actually be a huge help to the Democratic Party, a New York Times columnist warned the president Wednesday.

Trump has said the number one priority for the Republican Party should be pushing through the bill. If passed into law, it would mean U.S. citizens would require voter ID at the ballot box, and mail-in votes would be hindered massively.

This could affect millions of voters, according to The New York Times' Jamelle Bouie — who suggests those hindrances of voter ID could be more of a problem for the GOP's voter base than the Dems'.

Bouie wrote, "Far from neutering the Democratic Party, the SAVE Act might improve its ability to win big in this year’s midterms as a result of education polarization and a stark difference in enthusiasm between the two parties.

"But Trump and his allies think otherwise, and intent matters. The point of the SAVE Act, for them, is to use a ginned-up panic over noncitizen voting to disenfranchise the tens of millions of Americans who oppose the president and who have, as a result, been placed outside the political community.

"The SAVE Act embodies Trump and the Republican Party’s astonishing contempt for the idea that a fair election is one where you can vote without being hassled by the state."

Bouie went on to explain that, despite the GOP being hot on the prospect of passing the bill into law, it would actually hinder the voters who may place their vote in the Republican Party's column.

"The SAVE Act would go beyond simple voter ID to impose a national citizenship requirement. Consider too the millions of American women who, upon marriage, took their husband’s last name and may need to get a new birth certificate to register to vote.

"Now, if we step back and look at the composition of the American electorate, the reality is that the SAVE Act might work against the Republican Party. Married women, and especially those who have taken their husband’s last names, are a Republican-leaning group. So are Americans without passports, who tend not to have college degrees.

"And those Americans most likely to lack the personal or civic resources to obtain documentation on short notice are the low propensity voters that put Trump over the top in 2016 and 2024 — the same voters that Republicans need in November."

Trump gets another midterm warning as he's 'underwater' with vital voting bloc: CNN host

President Donald Trump must address a challenge with one group of voters, a CNN analyst said Friday.

As midterms approach, Trump needs to focus on independents, the group most divided on the joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, political commentator and CNN host Michael Smerconish told anchor Wolf Blitzer.

"I see that largely it's a referendum on the commander in chief," Smerconish said. "Republicans overwhelmingly supportive of the efforts, supportive of the president; Democrats in equal numbers, in opposition. The tie breakers are the independents, and that's why, by a relatively slim margin, I see the war effort as being underwater."

He argued that the upcoming elections would reveal how Americans support both the president and the conflict in the Middle East, something that the Trump administration should focus its messaging around. He also suggested the White House needs to shift its approach toward explaining why the military strikes were happening.

"It needs to be sold more about policy than the personality of the president," Smerconish said. "I think what they need to say is, look, for half a century religious fanatics who rule in another country have sworn our destruction. 'Death to America, death to Israel.' We're just not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. And I'd repeat it and repeat it and repeat it."

‘Flip the president’s home district’: Dems want to send Trump a personal message

President Donald Trump could take a political hit if Democrats flip a Republican House seat in his own backyard next week.

The special election in Florida District 87, which is home to Mar-a-Lago, could prove that Democrats can end the Florida GOP supermajority in the midterms this fall — returning the Sunshine State's "swing status," Politico reported. The potential victory for Democrats on March 24 would also follow a series of recent nationwide wins.

The long-anticipated race has Democrat Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate and small business owner who has focused on public health and mental health, facing off against Republican Jon Maples, a financial planner and former member of the Town Council in Lake Clarke Shores. The district includes the coastline along northern Palm Beach County.

The message for Trump is meant to be personal.

"Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the state party was backing Gregory 'with everything we’ve got' and made the race a top priority by sending staff and volunteers to knock on doors, make calls and send texts to ensure voters 'flip the president’s home district,'" according to Politico.

Trump has endorsed Maples, but Democrats have zeroed in on support for Gregory, who sued to force Gov. Ron DeSantis to call the special election after delays.

The special election win could signal a significant moment for Democrats heading into November.

"In the district hosting Trump’s home and private club, the symbolism of a Democratic win could be overshadowed by a broader signal that Democrats have a chance to expand their midterm opportunities — across Florida’s gubernatorial and Senate races as well as nationwide," Politico reported.