In an interview with the Associated Press, Donald Trump is already trying to blame everybody else for the increasing likelihood that Democrats will gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November.
The AP reported, “Facing an electoral defeat that could imperil his presidency, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he won’t accept the blame if Republicans lose the House in November, arguing that he is ‘helping people’ in the midterms.”
Presidents of both parties in the past have reacted to such midterm defeats by pledging to listen to the American people and work across the aisle. Trump is already sending signals not only that he won’t do that, but he won’t even accept responsibility for such a loss.
More from the AP interview:
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Of his efforts on the campaign trail, Trump said: “I don’t believe anybody has ever had this kind of impact.†He resisted comparisons to former President Barack Obama, who took responsibility for the Democrats’ defeat in 2010 by acknowledging that his party got “shellacked.â€
Democrats are hopeful about their chances to recapture the House, while Republicans are increasingly confident they can hold the Senate. If Democrats take the House and pursue impeachment or investigations — including seeking his long-hidden tax returns— Trump said he will “handle it very well.â€
…
He derided Cohen, who worked for Trump for a decade, as “a PR person who did small legal work,†and said it was “very sad†that Cohen had struck a deal to “achieve a lighter sentence.â€
And Trump did not back down from derisively nicknaming Daniels “Horseface†in a tweet hours earlier.
Asked by the AP if it was appropriate to insult a woman’s appearance, Trump responded, “You can take it any way you want.â€
Trump alone will be responsible for the GOP shellacking in November
Trump can try all he wants to pass the blame on to somebody else, but the Republican Party is sinking because of him. The more he opens his mouth – like he did today in his attacks on Stormy Daniels – the more he turns off key voting blocs, particularly women, and risks what should be safe GOP seats.
As MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace pointed out on Tuesday, each Republican candidate that sticks with Trump and his sexist attacks will be worse off in November. After all, it will be suburban women who swing next month’s elections, and they are turned off by the misogynist in the White House. They also plan to vote.
What’s clear is that Trump knows his party is in for a rude awakening in November, particularly in House races, and he’s trying to get out from under it before it’s too late.
Note to the president: It’s too late.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
