From our correspondent in the United States,
Nothing happened as Donald Trump hoped during the midterms. A red wave was to sweep over the Chamber, he intended to place his MAGA foals in key positions for the next presidential election, and triumphantly announce his candidacy next Tuesday. Instead, Republicans underperformedthe “swing states” have rejected the most extreme conspiratorial candidates, and the triumph of Ron DeSantis makes the governor of Florida a potentially formidable opponent for a fratricidal primary.
Before burying Donald Trump, be careful. He remains ultra-popular with the Republican base. And if the Congress was uncertain, Wednesday evening, the Republicans were in a favorable ballot in the House and could still delight the Senate from the Democrats, a scenario which would allow the former president to limit the damage. But there’s blood in the water, and the sharks — from moderate Republican lawmakers to Fox News — are ready to feast.
Positive attitude
Silent all morning, and “angry” according to the gossip, Donald Trump reacted on his network, Truth Social. A rare occurrence for this die-hard “positive thinking” borrowed from Pastor Norman Vincent Peale, the former president admitted that the results of this election were “somewhat disappointing”. For the others. “From a personal point of view, it was a great victory,” he says.
Maths in support, he says that the candidates to whom he has given his support have won 219 victories for 16 defeats. An exaggerated flattering ratio, and above all misleading. Even though he owns a casino in Vegas, Donald Trump is not a gambler. If he remains a kingmaker in the primaries, he most often supports a candidate who is almost certain to win. Either in a very red state, like Alabama or South Dakota, or in a tailor-made district in the House or in a local legislature.
CNN compiled the performances of candidates who questioned Joe Biden’s victory and/or perpetuated the myth of fraud in the 2020 election. Keeping only the statewide polls (governor , senator, secretary of state), and not just from one district, Donald Trump’s score is 21 wins for 24 losses. And much less if we only look at the “swing states”, where you have to seduce a more centrist electorate.
The Trump “debacle”
Thus, the far-right candidate Doug Mastriano was swept away by 14 points in Pennsylvania. Don Bolduc of 9 in New Hampshire. Ditto for Tudor Dixon, dominated by Trump nemesis Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan. Dr. Oz lost to a stroke-impaired John Fetterman. Trumpists failed in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Virginia. In Arizona and Nevada, their fate remains uncertain. In the end, only JD Vance did really well in Ohio, a state that Trump had won by 8 points against Clinton and Biden.
Last summer, Mitch McConnell had criticized the “quality” of the Republican candidates chosen during the primaries, most often novices in politics having pledged allegiance to the “Don”. “You cannot nominate candidates who are unable to appeal to the electorate beyond a narrow base,” moderate Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey, attacked on Wednesday. “The more the candidates were MAGA, the more they underperformed in their state”, he continues, denouncing a “debacle for which Donald Trump is responsible”.
Ron “DeFuture” DeSantis
To make matters worse, this Trumpian disappointment comes as Ron DeSantis clinched a resounding victory by nearly 20 points in Florida. To the point of conquering Miami-Dade, a county however predominantly Hispanic that Trump had lost by 7 points against Biden and 29 against Clinton.
According to the polls taken from the ballot boxes, DeSantis won 57% of the Latino vote, managing to seduce not only the Cuban émigrés, traditionally conservative, but also the Puerto Rican electorate. Unheard of for a candidate ideologically close to Donald Trump but with the discipline of a former Navy lawyer who went to Harvard, who seems less repulsive to independents.
All day, Fox News sang its praises, and the New York Post, which is also owned by the Murdoch family, made its cover on “Ron DeFuture.” Feeling the threat rising like a hurricane strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico, Donald Trump, who ruled out postponing his announcement, made a veiled threat: “I don’t know if he’s going to be a candidate. But if he does, I’ll reveal unflattering things about him. I know more about him than anyone, perhaps with the exception of his wife “Reinforced after these midterms, Joe Biden has already taken out the popcorn, having fun at a press conference about this potential duel: “It will be fun to watch them compete! »