A GOP donor has had it with President Donald Trump and has declared his intention to distance himself from the president.
The blue tsunami gave Democrats power in both chambers to usher in Trump’s lame duck era. In trying to determine where they went wrong, some GOP insiders and operatives have pointed to Trump at the top, according to Fox News. Even his hand-picked candidates were soundly defeated in races that used to be safe for the party.
“First and foremost, this is a Trump loss,” said Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive and well-known Republican donor. “He wanted people to consider him on the ballot. Unfortunately, as a Republican, that’s what we got.”
Eberhart put it bluntly: “I think Trump being a lame duck starts today. You know, if I’m up in the [2028] cycle, I’m waking up today, I’m against the arch. I’m against the ballroom. I want space from Trump.” Some are anticipating a big change in Trump’s support in Congress as he heads into a lame-duck period likely marked by investigations and stalled agendas.
Democrats turned over seven Senate and 27 House seats on Election Night. They will hold at least 54 in the Senate, with upsets in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina among them; Alaska and Mississippi are still in the balance. In the House, the flipped districts put Democrats on pace to win more than 250 seats, with some outlets predicting in the 251–268 range.
One House Republican took issue with the GOP leadership for all the “bluster” and not enough “doing the job,” though he did not name Trump. “All the name changes were so unnecessary – Gulf of America, Lake of America, Department of War,” the lawmaker said.
Another put forward a long list of failings: the quality of some of the candidates, Trump’s tariffs and immigration enforcement, affordability, the historic headwinds of a midterm and a move toward populism at the expense of traditional conservatism.
Trump has his own explanation. He says he was not on the ballot, and that if he had been, voters “would have gotten out.” Vice President JD Vance has laid the blame at the feet of the Iran war.
For his part, Trump posted a picture of a red hat inscribed with “Veto” on Truth Social late Tuesday, and he has promised to veto any “insane” legislation from the Democrats in the wake of their victory. He told Fox News’ Bret Baier that the gasoline prices driven by the conflict with Iran probably had something to do with the Republican losses. The fallout is already underway.
CBS News reports Mr. Trump has been asking advisers whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in post, though he hasn’t decided to replace him. Separately, House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to stand down as the party’s leader.