Even as President Donald Trump argues at rallies the midterms are about him and the Republican Party has a great chance at success, in private, the president already is setting the groundwork in case of a defeat by the GOP to place the blame on others, according to two people familiar with the conversations, Politico reported Monday.
Trump has said privately he holds House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell responsible for protecting their congressional majorities, and the only referendum on himself will be the 2020 presidential elections, according to the sources.
A person close to the president said many are expecting Trump to come up with excuses, if the GOP loses, by claiming candidates did not tie themselves closely enough to him or to blame the media.
Trump already has demonstrated how he shifts the blame for setbacks to others, according to Politico. After Congress failed to repeal Obamacare, Trump blamed "a few Republicans," and when Roy Moore lost in the Alabama Senate election despite the president's endorsement, Trump said he was pressured into backing the wrong candidate.
"The president's rhetoric is what's actually energized the left, so it would be hard to put it on Congress if we lost the House," a senior GOP aide told Politico. "But it's just classic behavior on the part of this president to not shoulder the blame if things go bad, and to definitely take responsibility if things go right."
It also would be the complete opposite of what recent presidents did when they lost, as both George W. Bush, in 2006, and Barack Obama four years later, took responsibility for the defeat of their parties.
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