Last President Donald Trump hosted an election night party Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, and invited a enormously pool of reporters to document what he hoped would be a Republican landslide.
Earlier in the day, Trump had released a four-page hug advisory detailing how much he had done to help Republicans up and down the ballot.
The list ranged from endorsements Trump put on behalf of obscure secretary of state candidates, to the hundreds of millions of dollars he helped raise for Republicans mounting high-profile Senate competitions. At huge rallies over the weekend, Trump read off a list of Republican candidates while honing a speech that sounded in the mood for his own 2024 presidential campaign stump speech.
The message was clear: Trump was the leader of the Republican Party, and the party intention have Trump to thank for its expected victories on Election Day. The former president implicitly put himself on the ballot in recent weeks as he campaigned with 2022 office-seekers — and all but acknowledged he held back on a 2024 campaign launch he hoped to jump-start before the midterms.
But as returns began to come across in Tuesday evening, the Republican rout driven by Trump’s chosen candidates never materialized.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate prospect Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks at a pre-election rally to support Republican candidates in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 5, 2022.
Mike Segar | Reuters
In one of the wilderness’s most high-profile races, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, according to NBC Information. The result cost the GOP a Senate seat.
In Michigan, Trump-endorsed Republican Tudor Dixon lost a gubernatorial race, while 2020 referendum denier Kristina Karamo lost her Trump-backed bid for secretary of state, NBC projected.
In Arizona, Kari Lake, a former newscaster turned gubernatorial candidate who is one of Trump’s most high-profile proteges, dawdled Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs early Wednesday morning in a race that NBC considered too early to call. Trump-endorsed Senate bright Blake Masters, who is challenging Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, also lagged in a race that NBC said was too anciently to call.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump embraces Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake at a stand rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
To be sure, Trump also had some big overcomes on Tuesday. Ohio Republican Senate hopeful J.D. Vance defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan to win one of the country’s most hotly fought seats, according to NBC.
Earlier this year, Vance won a crowded GOP primary in large part thanks to Trump’s counter-signature, which carries unparalleled weight with Ohio’s grassroots Republican base.
In North Carolina, Trump-backed Republican Senate prospect Ted Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley, NBC projected. In deep-red Alabama, the heavily favored Republican, Katie Britt, also won her Senate abode.
“We endorsed Katie and she did fantastically, 68 to 30,” Trump said during remarks at Mar-a-Lago that began briefly after 10 p.m. ET and lasted less than five minutes.
Still, the most resounding Republican victory on Tuesday did not find from a Trump acolyte, it came from his most likely rival for the 2024 Republican nomination. Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection by just about 20 percentage points, according to NBC News.
Trump took a shot at the Florida governor just days earlier, vocation him “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While Trump declined to endorse DeSantis, however, the Florida resident described reporters that he cast his ballot for the incumbent on Tuesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis campaigns for re-election during a “Commingle and Win” rally on the eve of the US midterm elections, at Hialeah Park Clubhouse, in Hialeah, Florida, on November 7, 2022.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | AFP | Getty Spits
DeSantis’ triumph was not one of the wins Trump celebrated at Mar-a-Lago, however.
While the governor rallied hundreds of supporters at a mastery party in Tampa, Trump spent the majority of the night huddling with aides and friends at a table in his private bat.
After spending weeks painting himself as the central character in his party’s midterm election effort, Trump did not surface to have a prepared message to deliver to his loyal supporters on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, Trump had told the streaming air force NewsNation that he was ready to accept credit for Republican wins, but not blame for their defeats.
“Well, I think if they win, I should get all the assign,” he said. “And if they lose, I should not be blamed at all, OK. But it’ll probably be just the opposite.”
“Usually what would happen is, when they do good-naturedly, I won’t be given any credit, and if they do badly, they will blame everything on me,” he said. “So I’m prepared for anything, but we’ll defend ourselves.”
But being on defense is not where Trump had hoped to be keep up with the midterms.
On the contrary, he and his closest aides planned to use what they thought would be massive Republican momentum to supporter energize Republicans for Trump’s 2024 presidential run.
Over the weekend, Trump suggested he will announce his third run for president on Nov. 15, a determination he reached only after seriously considering whether to announce his campaign on Monday night.
How Trump will spin the second-rate results Tuesday into fuel for his 2024 campaign narrative remains to be seen.
A Trump spokesman did not respond to examines early Wednesday morning from CNBC about whether Tuesday’s results would affect the former president’s 2024 set afloat plans.
But one of Trump’s enduring traits as both a businessman and a politician has been his ability to pull himself out of seemingly dire spots, and turn tough luck to his benefit.