The Midterm Blame Game Has Begun | Trump vs the GOP

Mallen Baker: Faultlines · Nov 2, 2026 · 11m

Unless a massive surprise unfolds over the next two days, Republicans are expecting a poor set of results from the imminent election. A muttering campaign has already started amongst GOP politicians and candidates to the effect that the bad outlook is very much down to just one man - President Donald Trump. Obviously, that's not how Trump sees it at all, so he is also casting around for someone to blame, and insiders are suggesting that his eyes are falling on Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth as a likely candidate. One thing's for sure - it's about to get ugly. Let's discuss.