he architect of the Republican midterm collapse stepped out from the rubble on Tuesday night and insisted it wasn\u2019t his fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t on the ballot,\u201d President Donald Trump posted to social media. \u201cAnd if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Except, of course, the Trump name was stamped on every brick. His war of choice in Iran drove up US gas prices and alienated supporters drawn to his pledge of no more foreign conflicts. Allegations of profiteering by the president and those close to him, and his obsession with gilding the White House, went down badly with voters struggling to pay their bills. His handpicked Senate candidates in ruby-red states like Texas and South Carolina proved so unpalatable that Democrats won for the first time in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Democratic strategy was to nationalize the election and make it all about Trump. To tell voters they can end Trump and end Trumpism right now. That pitch resonated with people on the left,\u201d said Steve Bannon, Trump\u2019s former chief strategist. \u201cThis became a referendum on the president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> The architect of the Republican midterm collapse stepped out from the rubble on Tuesday night and insisted it wasn\u2019t his fault. https:\/\/t.co\/CgzEVvTdGk<\/p>— Bloomberg Government (@BGOV) November 4, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n