Week after week for the past three months, Americans have heard President Donald Trump say and repeat that they had to vote as if he "were on the ballot." At rallies, interviews, at the Texas Republican convention, in tweets and advertisements. It has been the main and almost only message. While congressmen, senators and candidates implored the White House to let them conduct the campaign focusing on state and local issues, to counteract rising prices, Trump wanted a plebiscite on himself. It is evident that he has lost it. Evident to everyone except himself.
Around 10:00 p.m., Washington time, the White House began damage containment by sending a message to journalists distancing itself from the results, saying that the fault for what happened was not at all the leader's and even stating that the leader had nothing at stake, a shameful message after having bombarded with precisely that same idea. "President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates than the candidates themselves... The president was not on the ballot, and Trump voters have been shown to show up when he is on it," the statement said.
The MAGA leader, in fact, is the one who handpicked the majority of those defeated tonight. Darline Graham in South Carolina, Al Paxton in Texas or the "muscle-ass" senatorial candidate Jon Husted in Ohio. But he insists that the responsibility lies with others. "I did not stand in the elections and, if I had, we would have won by an overwhelming majority!" he tweeted when he was already aware of the extent of the very harsh defeat.
Throughout the day, numerous allies and friends of Trump, conspiracy fans and MAGA influencers had been preparing the ground for possible challenges, talking about massive thefts, manipulations, and maneuvers to leave Republicans unable to vote. Accusing them of being behind machine failures in New York, ballot supply errors in Kansas, and electrical problems in Arizona or Colorado. The president, however, seems willing to admit the overwhelming results. "I'm absolutely willing to accept those results," he said in an interview with The New York Times. "We will work with the Democrats and, well, we hope to work with them. We will probably reach an agreement," he said at around 10:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. in Spain). Shortly after, however, he posted the image of his traditional red cap with the message VETO in capital letters, announcing that for the next two years he will try to paralyze any legislative proposals from his rivals.
Trump was angry, furious, last night. He gave a good example of this on his social networks, attacking his ranks with enormous cruelty. To quickly deflect attention, he announced that he was going to become "a political analyst, both good and bad, on the reasons why these candidates won and lost," beginning a list of grievances against his own.
"If Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, had not become a Republican in name only (RINO) in the last six months of his political career, he would not have lost. He went back to his original formula, and it was not pleasant at all," he said of the three-time governor of Texas and his ally for 10 years. The first to be pointed out.
But his anger was focused above all on Fox News, his favorite television network and the one where he was following the election night at a small party at the White House. "I'm watching the pre-election results on Fox News, but I can't stand Jessica Tarlov's voice; she's dumb as a rock, but it's her voice that drives me crazy. I have to go somewhere else until that loser gets off the air. I'll be back later!" he wrote before the schools closed in reference to one of the network's presenters, the only one who is progressive and very critical of his Government.
His anger continued to grow as the polls and first results arrived. "The Fox News poll, always the worst, is so insulting with the questions they ask. Every question is an attack, and every answer is "LIE!" This has been happening for years," he lamented shortly after. "Fox News' ratings have dropped dramatically (by 27%!) because they spend too much time covering Trump-obsessed lunatics. Everyone who used to watch Fox and doesn't anymore understands this. It's them, not me; my numbers are better than ever. New CNN poll says "TRUMP" has 99% support among Republicans and 53% among Republican presidents, compared to Ronald Reagan (18%) and Abraham Lincoln (8%). "He knows it, and so does everyone else!" he added shortly after, completely unleashed.
