Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentIan Bremmer: Is Trump sabotaging Republicans' midterm hopes?The president doesn’t seem to care about the election’s outcomeLast updated 12 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump Photo by Jim WATSON/AFP via Getty ImagesFew ideas live closer to the heart of U.S. President Donald Trump’s political brand than his consistent claim that the American left steals elections at his expense. If we don’t stop them, Trump warns his crowds, we won’t have a country anymore.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorWhen he (fairly) defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, but without winning a majority of votes, he insisted that millions had voted against him illegally, and that the Democratic party had “rigg(ed) the election at polling booths.” When he lost to Joe Biden in 2020, he made these and more charges, and then encouraged a riot at the Capitol to try to halt the election’s certification. In 2024, he said Democrats had recognized his win over Kamala Harris only because the margin had been “too big to rig.”Now Trump faces his final popular vote. His name won’t appear on the ballot this November, but the results of midterm elections for Congress are nearly always considered a referendum on the president and his performance. That’s especially true when, as now, his party holds majorities in both legislative houses.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThis next election comes at a time of deep unpopularity for Trump. His poll numbers are lower at this point in his tenure than those of any second-term U.S. president in the past 80 years — with the sole exception of Richard Nixon on the eve of his disgraced resignation in 1974.But this time, judging by his actions, Trump doesn’t seem to care about the election’s outcome. It’s true that, earlier this summer, he used a loudly trumpeted televised speech to rehash never-substantiated charges about previous elections, including accusations that China has created an “unprecedented election security nightmare” by hacking millions of voter registration files and manipulating social media (though not suggesting taking any policy actions against China in response). He also accused Democrats of hiding the evidence.Trump also persists in pushing the Republican-controlled Congress for new laws that would require all voters to present identification at the polling place, a measure many of his fellow Republicans oppose. But none of this is new — and most of the Republicans now facing midterm challenges have done little to boost Trump’s various vote conspiracies.The president also seems bent on sabotaging his party’s best re-election candidates more directly. In state after state, he has driven strong, if independently minded, Republican lawmakers into retirement and favoured GOP candidates who pledge loyalty to Trump over incumbents with a better chance of turning back popular Democratic party challengers.He has repeatedly inflicted harm on the Republican leaders of the House and Senate by trying to force them to adopt deeply unpopular positions or pass legislation that has no chance of success. He has also pressed GOP lawmakers to cancel their August recess, crucial time for campaigning back in their states and districts.Most importantly, Trump has devoted much attention to issues he cares about personally — a new ballroom for the White House, new monuments in Washington and political revenge against his enemies — while all but ignoring the problems of consumer price inflation that his war on Iran and tariff policies are helping sustain for voters across the nation.So, what’s going on? Has Trump lost interest in protecting Republican majorities?Democrats will almost certainly win control of the lower house, giving the opposition power to control government spending and launch official investigations into the president and his administration. They could even impeach him a third time. The upper house is a much closer call, but the opposition might still win a majority there too, undermining Trump’s ability to confirm senior officials, judges and even new Supreme Court justices.But if Trump seems to be shrugging at his party’s endangered majorities, it’s because he knows he has little chance of success. Once the November votes are counted, the president will likely refuse to accept the outcome. It’s a safe bet that he will contest the close races, challenge the integrity of voting machines and election workers, particularly in majority Democratic states, and claim that shadowy foreign agents helped the opposition win. Trump is also likely to claim that Republicans would have won big had they simply done all that he demanded.All this will further damage U.S. public faith in the institutions of American democracy, yet none of it will matter to the final election outcome. As in all Trump elections — the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential votes, as well as the 2018 and 2022 midterms — ballots will be counted, and the legitimate winners will claim their seats. Trump can’t change that, because the U.S. federal government has no constitutional role in the administration of American elections.The outcomes will be decided in the states. Once again, the nation’s institutional guardrails will hold. Whatever Trump says and does in the days, weeks and years that follow, U.S. courts will reject his challenges. Even his follow Republicans, whatever they say when pressed for personal opinions on Trump’s claims, will move forward to prepare for the many post-Trump political and legislative battles to come.In the process, we will begin to turn the page from the Trump chapters of American presidential history. Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and many others will carefully open their bids to break free from the decaying orbit of Trump’s political star. Without this president to unite them, Democrats will soon wage their own internecine battles. U.S. allies and rivals will begin to consider how the next U.S. president, Republican or Democrat, might change America’s political and policy trajectory.For geopolitics, two years is a long time. New Trump stories remain to be written, and this president will continue to shape America’s politics and its role in a fast-changing and fragmented world. But this November’s midterm elections, however colourful the dramas that surround them, will mark a turning point for America’s recent history. Donald Trump’s ability to redefine what is possible inside the United States and the nation’s relations with friends and foes has reached its peak.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.