President Donald Trump appears to be laying the groundwork to blame congressional Republicans if the party suffers major losses in the November midterms.
The 80-year-old president raised eyebrows this week by sharing a month-old post from a MAGA influencer who warned that Republicans were "sleepwalking" to defeat because they had failed to deliver on Trump's agenda, and CNN's Aaron Blake said that was the latest sign that he's concerned about the election – and looking for someone to blame.
"Trump has never taken kindly to losing elections," Blake wrote. "He’s often tried to explain it away by citing bogus claims of mass voter fraud. But ahead of the 2026 midterm election, he appears to be lining up another culprit and scapegoat: his fellow Republicans."
The president, of course, is historically unpopular and has disillusioned many Republican voters with the war in Iran and his trade wars, so it wouldn't be surprising to see his party lose congressional seats – and possibly their majorities.
"Regardless, though, Trump blaming the GOP for its own losses — if they do indeed lose control of either chamber — would set up a very interesting intraparty clash at a particularly sensitive time," Blake wrote. "It would come as it’s licking its wounds from a bad election and perhaps considering a new path forward from the Trump era."
Trump has simultaneously tried to make the midterms a referendum on himself personally — telling voters to "pretend" he's on the ballot, headlining a Trump-focused midterm convention next month, and benefiting from super PAC ads that heavily feature him — even as his coalition has historically struggled to turn out when he isn't actually on the ballot.
"That points to a very real problem for the GOP, which is that the Trump coalition doesn’t show up as much when he isn’t personally on the ballot," Blake wrote.
Republicans acknowledge their best bet is to turn out the MAGA base since swing voters are likely off the table, but Blake argued that Trump is making a big gamble by make the election a referendum about himself – especially if the GOP fares poorly.
"If he does blame his party, it could rock the GOP at an inopportune time," Blake wrote. "Imagine Republicans licking their wounds from a bad election and having Trump piling on top of that by pushing 100 percent of the blame on the party’s shoulders."
Republicans have long allowed Trump to get with way without consequences, but Blake said that might finally be a bridge too far.
"It might be difficult for some of them to swallow after Trump caused them so many problems," he wrote. "And some might even reason this is a chance to turn the page on a term-limited president."
