Republicans suffered major losses in the midterms, but President Donald Trump has shown little interest in acknowledging that something went wrong. Instead, he described his first two years in office as the greatest in presidential history.
Commentators Dave Landau and Stu Burguiere were unconvinced. Burguiere said the results were poor for Republicans and conservatives across much of the country, with Florida standing out as an exception.
He also pointed to Trump’s willingness to accept the election results, despite Democrats having spent years saying they expected Trump would reject a loss. In an interview after the results, Trump congratulated Democrats and said he did not see the outcome as a personal setback. He maintained that his first two years had been the best in presidential history.
Landau thought the response missed the moment. He compared it to praising the time spent with someone when they were at their sickest, just before they died.
Burguiere said he had long hoped Trump would admit when things were going badly, own specific mistakes, and explain how he planned to address them. He understands that Trump believes in positive thinking and in the power of conviction, he added, but still wanted a more candid response.
Landau acknowledged that Trump had faced years of intense criticism, including repeated impeachment efforts and hostile treatment from the media. Still, he argued that Trump’s own actions had not helped matters.
Landau criticized the administration for failing to arrest people he believed should have been arrested. He also noted that journalist Nick Shirley had been investigating alleged fraud online, while saying ICE’s actions seemed overly performative. Overall, Landau said, the effort to address the country’s problems had been rough.
