A number of prominent conservatives have faulted former President Donald Trump for Republicans’ underperformance in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
SO WHAT
The knives are out for Trump ahead of 2024.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
As it became clear there would be no “red wave” in 2022, various pundits and politicians on the right noted that several Trump-backed candidates lost in key states, whereas Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis easily won reelection.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR, on CNN
MARC THIESSEN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR, on Fox News
MIKE CERNOVICH, “NEW RIGHT” MEDIA PERSONALITY, on Twitter
HARRIS FAULKNER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR, & JASON CHAFFETZ, FORMER GOP CONGRESSMAN, on Fox News
GEOFF DUNCAN, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, on CNN
CHARLES C.W. COOKE, NATIONAL REVIEW SENIOR WRITER, at NationalReview.com
OK, BUT
Trump — who in recent days warned DeSantis not to challenge him for the 2024 Republican nomination — claimed midterms victory Wednesday in a series of posts to his Truth Social platform.
- “While in certain ways yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal standpoint it was a very big victory – 219 WINS and 16 Losses in the General – Who has ever done better than that?” Trump wrote.
- Some MAGA Twitter commentators agreed that Trump was being unfairly scapegoated for Republicans’ disappointing night.
Sen.-elect JD Vance, R-Ohio, after failing to mention Trump in his victory speech, thanked the former president for his endorsement in a statement Wednesday to Fox News.
- “His endorsement and the work he did to drive turnout — including a huge rally in Dayton on election eve — made all the difference in this race, and led us to the largest battleground victory in the nation,” Vance said.