WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters delivered an embarrassing rebuke to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, flipping four U.S. Senate seats in states where he repeatedly campaigned in the final weeks of the midterm campaign .
The political spotlight will also begin its shift to Republicans and Democrats vying to replace him during the 2028 presidential campaign. But about 24 hours after Trump had uttered that, the president on Tuesday night began pointing the blame elsewhere as results came in, posting on social media: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! About 6 in 10 voters say Trump places a higher priority on his own personal interests than he does the country’s interests, while about 4 in 10 said he puts more weight on the country’s interests.
Voters delivered those losses, along with flipping seats in North Carolina and Ohio, after Trump repeatedly urged voters to pretend he was on the ballot while defending his policies on tariffs and the war with Iran that drove up prices. If his party loses control of Congress in the midterm elections, the rest of Trump’s time in office is likely to be consumed by Democratic-led investigations into his administration and his business dealings, and could possibly lead to another impeachment. He had all but guaranteed the results will be seen as a referendum on himself by repeatedly urging voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot. Despite urging voters to use their imagination when reading names on the ballot, Trump’s hand-picked Republican candidates in Texas and South Carolina faced deep skepticism. Democrats were eager to watch the unpopular president insert himself so fully in the campaign, believing it served as an effective reminder of who should be blamed for the state of the economy. Views of Trump’s priorities more broadly — and his capabilities as a leader — were also mostly negative. More than half of voters say Trump is not a strong leader, does not fight for people like them, does not have the right priorities and does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president. But the president at times shrugged off the prospect of a Republican loss of power in Congress. The president is also keenly aware of the political power he draws from having a foil, leveraging opposition to consolidate support in his party and boost fundraising.
Placing himself front and center on voters’ minds was a major gamble by the president and his political team, who believed it would drive “Make America Great Again” supporters to the polls.
