Donald Trump wanted to launch into a third election campaign with a wave of Republican midterm gains behind him. Instead, he emerges from Tuesday’s overwhelming election night facing questions about his political future and with momentum behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis — his likely primary foe in a 2024 primary. With key races still too early to call in Arizona and Nevada, and Georgia headed for a Senate runoff, Trump entered Wednesday with few wins and the possibility that they would soon be overshadowed by further losses. His handpicked candidates for open Senate seats in Ohio and North Carolina prevailed, as did incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. But he lost a crucial Senate contest in Pennsylvania, where Mehmet Oz, whom he supported in the primary despite widespread concerns about his electability, was defeated by Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. In Michigan, Trump’s gubernatorial nominee failed to unseat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. And while Republicans still appear to be on track to win a majority in the House, it’s likely to be much more difficult than first thought. “As strong as Trump is in the Republican party, we’ve learned that he can’t anoint a winner. You still need candidates who have the fundamentals,” said Brian Lanza, a longtime Trump adviser. Others were more candid in their assessment of Tuesday’s known results. Rep. Troy Nels, a Republican from Texas who won re-election and is endorsed by Trump, appeared to impersonate the former president at the expense of other GOP candidates in a radio interview Wednesday. “There’s just a lot of negative attitudes about Trump,” Nels said. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a current Trump adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, admitted that Trump is “in a tough spot tonight.” “Two narratives will play out next week, and neither will be easy to dispel,” the adviser said. Mindful of his unprecedented involvement in the Republican primary earlier this year, this adviser and other Trump allies said they expect the former president to be accused of fielding flawed candidates in some of the party’s most important contests — especially Oz, a daytime talk show host who had just taken up residence in Pennsylvania before starting his Senate campaign there. Trump’s frustration was palpable inside the gilded ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he gathered with dozens of aides, allies and donors to watch the returns Tuesday night. When he returned to the party in the middle of the night after a private dinner, his mood had clearly changed. “Interesting night,” he called out to reporters before taking the stage for brief and unenthusiastic remarks. As the crowd thinned, Trump sat at a table in front of a television tuned to Fox News with a handful of advisers. Meanwhile, several guests whose names appeared on a VIP list that a Trump adviser released to reporters were nowhere to be found, including some who apparently decided to skip the event — appearing as TV pundits throughout the night from studios in other parts of the country . The end result was the exact scenario Trump’s advisers had hoped to avoid: an election where his top recruits failed or flopped and his Republican primary rival rose to new stardom. Read more here.

title: “Trump Says He Still Plans To Announce 2024 Next Week " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Anthony Flemming”

Donald Trump wanted to launch into a third election campaign with a wave of Republican midterm gains behind him. Instead, he emerges from Tuesday’s overwhelming election night facing questions about his political future and with momentum behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis — his likely primary foe in a 2024 primary. With key races still too early to call in Arizona and Nevada, and Georgia headed for a Senate runoff, Trump entered Wednesday with few wins and the possibility that they would soon be overshadowed by further losses. His handpicked candidates for open Senate seats in Ohio and North Carolina prevailed, as did incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. But he lost a crucial Senate contest in Pennsylvania, where Mehmet Oz, whom he supported in the primary despite widespread concerns about his electability, was defeated by Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. In Michigan, Trump’s gubernatorial nominee failed to unseat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. And while Republicans still appear to be on track to win a majority in the House, it’s likely to be much more difficult than first thought. “As strong as Trump is in the Republican party, we’ve learned that he can’t anoint a winner. You still need candidates who have the fundamentals,” said Brian Lanza, a longtime Trump adviser. Others were more candid in their assessment of Tuesday’s known results. Rep. Troy Nels, a Republican from Texas who won re-election and is endorsed by Trump, appeared to impersonate the former president at the expense of other GOP candidates in a radio interview Wednesday. “There’s just a lot of negative attitudes about Trump,” Nels said. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a current Trump adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, admitted that Trump is “in a tough spot tonight.” “Two narratives will play out next week, and neither will be easy to dispel,” the adviser said. Mindful of his unprecedented involvement in the Republican primary earlier this year, this adviser and other Trump allies said they expect the former president to be accused of fielding flawed candidates in some of the party’s most important contests — especially Oz, a daytime talk show host who had just taken up residence in Pennsylvania before starting his Senate campaign there. Trump’s frustration was palpable inside the gilded ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he gathered with dozens of aides, allies and donors to watch the returns Tuesday night. When he returned to the party in the middle of the night after a private dinner, his mood had clearly changed. “Interesting night,” he called out to reporters before taking the stage for brief and unenthusiastic remarks. As the crowd thinned, Trump sat at a table in front of a television tuned to Fox News with a handful of advisers. Meanwhile, several guests whose names appeared on a VIP list that a Trump adviser released to reporters were nowhere to be found, including some who apparently decided to skip the event — appearing as TV pundits throughout the night from studios in other parts of the country . The end result was the exact scenario Trump’s advisers had hoped to avoid: an election where his top recruits failed or flopped and his Republican primary rival rose to new stardom. Read more here.