Former President Donald Trump began 2023 by thinking about the 2022 midterm elections, arguing that he was not to blame for the GOP’s weaker-than-expected showing.
“It’s not my fault that the Republicans didn’t live up to expectations in the MidTerms,” Trump posted on social media site Truth Social.
Despite many wishes from Republicans, Trump has kept a high profile ahead of the midterms, holding several rallies, endorsing several hard-right candidates and dropping hints about his own political future.
Trump officially announced his 2024 presidential run just a week after Election Day. During his announcement speech, he said “the Republican Party has to do better” in the midterms, arguing that his party is looking ahead to the midterm results.
Some Republicans have openly blamed Trump for showing the GOP’s disappointment, including former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who called the former president “dragging our ticket.” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Trump’s endorsement was like “the kiss of death.”
But on Sunday, Trump denied that Republicans are handling the “abortion issue” that is blocking his midterm chances. In his Truth Social Post, Trump asserted that those who pushed to ban abortion for decades “just disappeared, never to be seen again.”
Trump also lobbed another diss at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over spending. (Specifically, Trump called out “Mitch stupid $’s!”)
His campaign has been relatively quiet since his November 15 announcement, and Trump himself has been embroiled in several scandals, including hosting important white nationalists for dinner and a plethora of legal problems.