Inside Trump’s ‘Ill-Prepared’ Midterm Plan Before the Blue Wave

Donald Trump’s advisers reportedly grew increasingly exasperated with the president’s approach to the midterm elections, as voters soured on the war in Iran while Trump remained preoccupied with plans for a White House ballroom, according to a newly published report.

The Republican Party is facing a historic setback after Democrats rode a powerful blue wave to take control of both the House and Senate by substantial margins on Tuesday.

Trump has already begun assigning blame, pointing to the candidates rather than accepting responsibility for the result.

But a report from The New York Times says members of Trump’s midterm operation were privately so dispirited that they turned to grim jokes about cyanide, funeral plans, prison meals and presidential pardons during a video call held days before voters went to the polls.

Tony Fabrizio, the president’s chief pollster, reportedly asked: “Do you want the white pill first or the black pill first?”

Another suggestion followed: “Maybe we could get asylum in Israel.”

Republican operatives also complained that Trump waited far too long before approving spending from his $400 million campaign war chest.

Trump referred to the funds—raised continuously after the 2024 election—as “my money.” Senate strategists were reportedly still unable to secure his approval to spend it as late as August.

One person involved in the effort said the team was “shocked at how ill-prepared they were.” Once Trump finally released the money, Republicans had to purchase advertising at far higher prices than Democrats, who had booked much of their airtime earlier.

One expert said Democratic-aligned groups benefited from early ad reservations, forcing Trump’s super PAC to spend four times as much as leading Democratic super PACs while securing 70 percent fewer advertisements in Alaska alone.

In one example, the Trump-aligned group paid $30,000 for an evening-news commercial that Democrats had secured for only $2,700 by booking the slot well in advance.

Donald Trump’s advisers reportedly questioned his priorities, candidate choices and handling of campaign money ahead of the midterm elections

James Blair, who oversaw Trump’s midterm strategy, was also linked to the president’s unsuccessful redistricting campaign

Advisers also saw dramatic swings in Trump’s level of engagement with the campaign. On some days, he insisted they should do “anything” necessary to win the midterms.

At other times, however, Trump appeared more interested in highlighting his own popularity compared with the candidates he had personally endorsed.

“It says something very nice about me that they just can’t win without me,” he reportedly told aides.

The selection of candidates became another major source of concern within the president’s political operation.

Michael Whatley in North Carolina, Darline Graham in South Carolina and, most notably, Ken Paxton in Texas were viewed by some strategists as particularly damaging choices.

“I have seen the enemy and it is us,” James Blair, the official responsible for Trump’s midterm strategy, reportedly said.

“In many places,” Fabrizio added, according to the report.

Throughout 2026, Trump also pursued policies that some insiders believed could hand an advantage to Democrats in the elections.

Trump’s pollster Tony Fabrizio reportedly identified serious voter concerns about the president’s handling of the Iran war

Trump’s campaign team reportedly questioned the choice of candidates including Michael Whatley, Darline Graham and, particularly, Texas’ Ken Paxton, pictured

One strategist described the Iran war as a failure on several fronts. Fabrizio conducted polling on the conflict, but the findings were largely disregarded by the president.

JD Vance helped negotiate a ceasefire in June, and polling found that voters familiar with the pause supported it by a 41-point margin. Sixty-seven percent also believed the truce could help bring down gas prices.

The ceasefire did not last, however, and the conflict continued into its ninth month. Hawkish Republicans, including Ted Cruz, were accused of encouraging Trump to remain committed to the strikes.

In Fabrizio’s focus groups, voters said Trump had broken his promise to keep the United States out of foreign wars. Many also said they did not understand why America was fighting in Iran.

Pollsters were told by members of Trump’s MAGA base that two steps could bring them back to the polls: ending the war and tackling inflation.

Some senior advisers also urged Trump to take a softer line on immigration, particularly after the ICE shootings in Minnesota earlier in the year.

The dispute reportedly pitted Chief of Staff “Ice Queen” Susie Wiles against Stephen Miller, a central architect of Trump’s immigration agenda.

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Senior strategists believed the shootings involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti had transformed immigration from one of Trump’s strongest issues into a political liability.

Fabrizio saw a possible exit from the Iran conflict after JD Vance, pictured, negotiated a June ceasefire that polling showed voters favored by 41 points, while 67 percent linked it to lower gas prices

Trump advisers reportedly pressed for a more moderate immigration message after the Minnesota ICE shootings, with the debate unfolding between Chief of Staff “Ice Queen” Susie Wiles, pictured, and Stephen Miller

The president allegedly asked one adviser: “If we never went into Iran, what do you think would happen in the midterms?”

Several Trump allies also believed his summer focus on White House renovation projects was distancing him from voters.

Rather than concentrating on the issues most important to the electorate, Trump repeatedly promoted plans for a new White House ballroom and a public golf course in Washington.

The $5,000 “Trump dividend” was unveiled at the Republican midterm convention without, reportedly, being discussed with much of the president’s inner circle.

Blair was also blamed for another strategic setback: the push for redistricting.

While working at the White House in 2025, Blair reportedly presented Trump with a plan to create more Republican-friendly districts across red states.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reacted to the proposal with an expletive: “You’ve got to be f***ing kidding me.”

Democrats ultimately limited the impact of the redistricting effort by recruiting strong candidates in reshaped districts and responding with new maps of their own in California, a move that delivered them five additional seats.

Trump repeatedly highlighted plans for a White House ballroom and a public golf course in Washington instead of centering his message on voters’ concerns

During a private video call held about a week before Election Day, Blair appeared to anticipate a Republican defeat.

“I’m getting my affairs in order. I suggest everybody else do the same,” he said. He later joked with Fabrizio that they might need to “get asylum in Israel” to escape the Democratic legal campaign he expected to follow.

The Daily Mail contacted the White House for comment.

Hours after Democrats captured both chambers of Congress in one of the most painful midterm losses in modern political history, Trump called Fox News late Tuesday and offered an unusually generous assessment of his opponents.

“Democrats did a good job,” he said. “They fought hard.”

Speaking to The New York Times, Trump said he was prepared to accept the outcome and would prefer working with Democrats during his final two years in office rather than vetoing their legislation.

By Wednesday morning, he was appearing at the construction site of his planned ballroom, answering questions as though the election setback belonged to someone else.

Trump again argued that he had not been on the ballot—even though he had urged voters to treat the contest as a referendum on him—and said he had no intention of reshuffling his Cabinet because the result was unrelated to his administration.

Behind the confident display at the ballroom site, however, Trump was making phone calls and apparently searching for someone to hold responsible.

Republican operatives had floated Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible scapegoats. But after only a few hours of sleep, Trump appeared to focus on another potential target.

According to a White House insider familiar with the calls, and two additional sources who confirmed the account, Trump contacted several close advisers to ask whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in his post.

Vice President Vance did not wait to respond, attributing the Republican defeat directly to the Iran war in a statement Wednesday morning that came close to implicating the president as well.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote.

Hegseth has not issued a public statement since the midterm results were announced.

By early Thursday morning, Democrats had secured 240 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate.

Those totals were already sufficient for majorities in both chambers, with additional Democratic victories expected to be called in the following days—including the possibility of surprise Senate wins in Mississippi and Alaska.