Donald Trump is in a dark mood about the midterms, reports The New York Times in an epic piece. Numerous administration insiders confide that he’s raging at naysayers and negative press. They’re also leaking that he’s “increasingly cloistered with a small group of acolytes” like Natalie Harp, as the Times puts it. The result:
As the elections approach, Mr. Trump is feasting on a media diet of fawning press coverage, disparaging clips about his perceived enemies, and helpings of flattering photos and “A.I. slop,” as one official put it.
That extraordinary passage shows how his aides are placating his anger. Yet new CNN polls show Democrats with leads in most of the key Senate races that will determine control. So we talked to political scientist Tom Schaller, author of a good piece for the Public Notice Substack on MAGA culture. We discuss whether those CNN polls are right, why Trump believes his influence over GOP voters will save the party, how a big Democratic night could break Trump-MAGA cultural power, and how that could allow Democrats to expand their coalition in coming years. Listen to this episode here.
