GOP's lackluster midterms showing puts Trump on defense, days before his 'big announcement'

Days earlier the midterm elections, erstwhile President Donald Trump appeared to locomotion close up to the borderline of officially announcing his 2024 statesmanlike campaign.

"I ran twice, I won twice, and did overmuch amended the 2nd clip than I did the first," Trump said, falsely, astatine a rally successful Iowa. "And present successful bid to marque our state palmy and harmless and glorious, I volition very, very, precise astir apt bash it again."

But that was past week — backmost erstwhile governmental forecasters and pundits were wide predicting a "red wave" that would transportation Republicans to beardown legislature majorities.

Though power of the House and Senate are inactive up successful the air, it's wide that the reddish question ne'er came, with Republicans underperforming expectations up and down the ballot successful cardinal states. That anemic showing spurred immoderate conservatives to lash retired astatine Trump, who had boosted losing candidates successful galore high-profile races.

Trump has been speedy to respond, launching a drawstring of societal media salvos against his perceived enemies successful the media and authorities — including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is wide seen arsenic Trump's biggest would-be challenger for the GOP information successful 2024.

"Despite having picked truthful galore winners, I person to enactment up with the Fake News," Trump lamented Thursday connected Truth Social.

"Big Victory, don't beryllium stupid," Trump wrote successful different station Friday morning. "Stand connected the rooftops and outcry it retired loud!"

It's not the archetypal clip Trump has been blamed for sabotaging Republicans' predetermination hopes. But the midterm results person acceptable Trump connected the antiaircraft conscionable days earlier helium is scheduled to marque a "very large announcement" connected Nov. 15 — wide expected to beryllium the motorboat of his 2024 statesmanlike campaign.

Trump has held his presumption arsenic the de facto Republican Party person adjacent aft losing to President Joe Biden successful 2020. After Jan. 6, 2021, erstwhile a convulsive mob spurred by Trump's mendacious claims that the predetermination was stolen stormed the U.S. Capitol, apical GOP figures continued to nexus themselves to Trump and ostracize the few Republicans consenting to openly knock him.

Meanwhile, galore GOP candidates sought Trump's endorsement successful the midterms, and polls consistently showed him arsenic the wide favourite to triumph the Republican information for president successful 2024.

After the reddish question failed to materialize Tuesday night, Trump initially claimed that the candidates helium backed had performed well. "While successful definite ways yesterday's predetermination was somewhat disappointing, from my idiosyncratic standpoint it was a precise large victory," helium wrote successful 1 societal media post.

Trump claimed that the immense bulk of his picks won their elections. But his endorsement didn't look to assistance successful immoderate of the cycle's astir competitory races.

His preferred Senate candidates successful Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and New Hampshire, Don Bolduc, mislaid to their Democratic opponents, NBC News projections showed. Trump-backed Republican challenger Blake Masters trailed incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly by astir 6 percent points successful the Arizona Senate contention wherever Kelly is the projected winner.

Trump prime Adam Laxalt had a 0.1 percent constituent edge, little than 1,000 votes, successful Nevada against Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto with 94% of the votes successful arsenic of Saturday morning, according to NBC News. In Georgia, Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker came successful conscionable down Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, with the contention headed to a December runoff.

Trump besides endorsed dozens of winning House candidates, but galore of those Republicans were successful shoe-in races. In the three-dozen elections labeled "Toss Up" by Cook Political Report, Trump endorsed lone six Republicans — and 5 of them lost, according to CNBC's analysis. (The sixth, competing for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, has yet to beryllium called by NBC, but the Democrat appears to clasp a flimsy pb with 80% of the ballot in.)

Trump besides endorsed Rep. Lauren Boebert, a highly disposable MAGA campaigner who was expected to easy triumph reelection successful her reddish Colorado district. With 99% of the ballot in, she was conscionable hardly squeaking up of her Democratic rival, NBC projections show.

Trump's picks besides mislaid high-profile gubernatorial races successful New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania, among different cardinal states. And immoderate of Trump's adversaries successful the GOP, including DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, cruised to triumph by wide margins.

With Trump's fig looming ample implicit the midterms, immoderate blimpish voices were speedy to constituent the digit astatine him.

"The surest mode to suffer successful these midterms was to beryllium a person endorsed by Trump," John Podhoretz wrote successful the New York Post, accompanied by a screen leafage that lampooned the erstwhile president arsenic "Trumpty Dumpty." "Trump Is The Republican Party's Biggest Loser," work the rubric of a post-election sentiment portion by the Wall Street Journal's editorial board.

"So bittersweet to spot Republicans onslaught and foolishly tarnish the results of the Midterms," Trump posted successful effect his blimpish critics, portion suggesting without grounds that still-undecided elections successful Arizona and Nevada are "RIGGED."

Trump has besides repeatedly slammed The New York Times, a longtime target, arsenic helium denied reporting that helium was blaming those successful his interior ellipse for endorsing Oz successful Pennsylvania.

"So galore of the radical I Endorsed went connected to triumph connected Tuesday Night, cipher was adjacent close, and they virtually marque up a communicative refusing to constitute the facts," Trump wrote successful 1 station aimed astatine the Times.

But adjacent arsenic Trump clashed with his ain party, helium appeared to beryllium sprinting toward announcing his candidacy for the GOP statesmanlike nomination.

"We had tremendous occurrence — wherefore would thing change?" Trump told Fox News connected Wednesday.

Longtime Trump adjutant Jason Miller said Friday greeting that Trump volition decidedly beryllium announcing his run adjacent Tuesday.

"I spoke with the President Trump this morning. He was connected the play people and I talked to him astir Tuesday which is truly his focus," Miller said connected the podcast of Steve Bannon, a erstwhile elder Trump advisor, NBC reported.

"He said, 'There doesn't request to beryllium immoderate question. Of people I'm running. I'm going to bash this and I privation to marque definite that radical cognize that I'm fired up and we got to get the state back,'" Miller said.

Trump's announcement is acceptable for adjacent Tuesday astatine 9 p.m. ET astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice home, according to an invitation that went retired Thursday night.