There is a lot of speculation that Trump doesn’t care if the GOP fares poorly in the midterms. This has been fueled, in part, by comments made by Orange Jesus himself about his indifference to public opinion and the forthcoming elections. Should we take them seriously?
Here are my reactions:
- Trump’s comments were made in the context of the war and the ongoing negotiations. He correctly perceives that the Iranians view the midterms as leverage against him; his objective is to eliminate the leverage. Whether the Iranians will take him seriously is another question.
- Trump never viewed Congress as any sort of an equal partner. He wants GOP majorities to keep the Democrats off his back while he expands executive power; significant legislation beyond the tax and benefit cuts in the BBB were never part of his plan. In that sense, he genuinely has little interest in the outcome of the midterms.
- But Democratic majorities would certainly attempt to put limits on his autocratic plans. That is why he pushed so hard for premature redistricting.
The bottom line here is that Trump really does care about the midterms—just not for the reasons that most presidents do.