Why Donald Trump Is The Big Loser Now Southeastern Florida Hurricane Warning On Wednesday

A “red wave” is coming, even a “red tsunami,” Republicans cheered ahead of the midterm elections. Record high inflation and rising crime supported these expectations. They have also arrived – but only in Florida. In the Sunshine State, Governor Ron DeSantis won his reelection by landslide, Senator Marco Rubio defended his seat just as easily, and Republicans won two seats in Congress.

Not everyone was equally happy with the success of the Grand Old Party (GOP). “There’s no doubt that the Florida win will grab the attention of voters outside the Sunshine State,” the Wall Street Journal smugly says. “You can also be sure that Donald J. Trump followed the event — too bad.”

Heavy defeat in Pennsylvania

The ex-president has some reasons to be unhappy. DeSantis’ election victory is in stark contrast to the results of the Senate candidates who supported Trump. JD Vance made it to the Ohio Senate. But in New Hampshire, his candidate Donald Bolduc failed. In Arizona, Blake Masters is on a losing streak and in Georgia his protégé Herschel Walker is likely to face a second round.

The Pennsylvania election has already been decided — and Trump was dealt a resounding slap in the face. His candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz lost to John Fetterman despite the fact that Dr. Oz had the undivided support of Fox News and a lot of money, and Fetterman was disabled by a stroke in May. Doug Mastriano, who is also backed by Trump, failed even more clearly. He wanted to be governor.

Thanks to Fetterman’s victory, the Democrats will likely be able to defend their wafer-thin Senate majority and the Republicans will have missed their second most important target. It is still uncertain whether they will achieve their most important goal, a majority in the House of Representatives.

Trump must take responsibility for the GOP’s bitter defeat in Pennsylvania. he helped Dr. Oz to a wafer-thin primary election victory over a candidate who could probably have defended the Republican seat. Although Oz was a TV star, he was not popular in Pennsylvania, not least because he doesn’t actually live in the state. “In Senate elections, it depends on the quality of the candidates,” Mitch McConnell had lamented ahead of the impending defeat.

Trump and McConnell have long been at odds. Given the disappointing outcome of the midterms for the GOP, this dispute is likely to intensify again. Trump will drop feathers. Even the ranks of Republicans are getting bored. The ex-president’s rallies are always the same: he berates the Democrats and whines about the big lie. A poll by NBC TV showed that 62 percent of Republicans identify with the party, but only 30 percent with Trump. A year ago, 50 percent identified with the party and 43 percent with Trump.

Thanks to its triumph in Florida, the GOP now has an alternative to Trump in DeSantis. The Florida governor is already being called “Trump with a brain”. The Wall Street Journal, which belongs to the media group Murdoch, has long been supportive of DeSantis. Major patrons like Hegdefund billionaire Ken Griffin will only donate if DeSantis is in the mood two years from now.

Of course, Trump has already responded to the threat from within his own ranks. He hosted a campaign event last weekend, mind you, without DeSantis. Yes, to the horror of Republicans, he even joked about him, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonous”. With this he wants to indicate that the Florida governor has recently presented himself as a warrior chosen by God.

Trump doesn’t just mock DeSantis, he openly threatens him. Should he run for the White House, he “will hurt himself very much,” said the ex-president. And: “I could say things about him that are anything but flattering. I know more about him than anyone, except maybe his wife.”

The signs within the GOP are stormy, an open fratricidal struggle ensues between Trump and DeSantis. For now, Trump still has the better numbers. A recent RealClearPolitics poll found that about 50 percent of Republicans still want Trump as their presidential candidate. DeSantis comes in at 21 percent.

But DeSantis has time on his side. He is only 44, Trump already 76. And he also knows that a lead in the polls can evaporate very quickly.