Almost half of MAGA Republicans see the movement as the loser in the midterm elections, according to a new poll.
A new Politico survey found that 62% of American adults consider President Donald Trump a loser in the midterms, with 59% saying the same about his MAGA movement.
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s 2023 Annual Leadership Summit at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. By Gage Skidmore.
Trump at Turning Point Creative Commons Image
The poll follows a devastating midterm election for the president, which saw the Republican Party lose control of both chambers of Congress.
MAGA Supporters Separate Trump from the Movement
While 45% of MAGA supporters described the movement as the loser of last week’s vote, only 34% said the same of Trump himself.
43% of MAGA voters said moderate Republicans were the elections’ losers, while 42% pointed to working-class Americans.
Among the poll’s 2,000 respondents, 51% viewed moderate Republicans as losers, followed by former Trump administration official Elon Musk at 48%.
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO pumped nearly $500 million into GOP campaigns in the lead-up to the election. Still, MAGA supporters identified him as much of a loser as Trump, with 34% identifying each as a loser.
Trump Approval Remains Low Following Midterms
President Trump put himself front and center of the Republican campaign, urging voters to “pretend” he was on the ballot to drive turnout among dissatisfied conservatives.
The core message of a Trump-centric GOP campaign was reiterated in the lead-up to the election, including the night before Tuesday’s vote when the president again repeated it on Sean Hannity’s program.
The reason, according to White House spokesman Davis Ingle, is that the president is “the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party.”
He added: “The choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, commonsense agenda, or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction.”
However, it was a bold strategy for a president who, in the weeks before the election, was polling at record-low approval ratings in both of his terms.
The president’s initial acceptance of the election results and shift away from repeated pre-election threats to bomb Iran have done little to improve his standing among voters. A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted November 6–9 put his approval at 32%—just one percentage point above his record low in the same poll last month.
Trump Changes Course on Election Result
The president had initially accepted the results of last week’s midterm elections. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump did not challenge the Republican Party’s defeat, telling the publication: “I think we’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll get along very well with them.
If we don’t, we’ll be very tough on them; they’ll be very tough on us.”
However, on Monday, November 9, Trump questioned the election’s validity.
“Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest?” he wrote on Truth Social. “How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting ‘dumps’ were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote.”
He added: “It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!”
Over the weekend, Trump shared multiple posts questioning last Tuesday’s results.
Races Remain Undeclared Despite Democratic Party Victory
While the Democratic Party is set to control both the Senate and the House, the size of their majorities remains unknown as of 10 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 12.
In Alaska, the Senate battle between Republican Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola remains uncalled, according to the Associated Press.
The state uses ranked-choice voting, meaning votes will transfer to the highest-ranked remaining candidate if neither Sullivan nor Peltola gets a majority.
Alaska’s Senate race has been particularly controversial, with two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
Alaska’s Senate seat is the only one remaining uncalled, with the Democratic Party guaranteed at least 55 seats in Congress’ upper chamber.
Several races remain ongoing in the House.
As of Wednesday, November 11, NBC News’ Decision Desk had 12 races still uncalled, including Colorado’s 4th congressional district, where Lauren Boebert is seeking to retain her seat against Democrat Eileen Laubacher.
CNN has declared the seat in favor of the latter, with Laubacher declaring victory on Monday. Boebert, however, is yet to concede, telling TMZ’s Jacob Wasserman that “the fat lady ain’t sung yet.”
The Democrats are projected to win at least 255 seats in the House, a gain of 42 according to AP.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
