This past Tuesday, President Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered an extraordinary midterm repudiation – losing not just the House and Senate, but statewide offices in red states, from Texas to Kansas to South Carolina, that Democrats hadn't won in decades.
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Democrats → suffer → decades
In the past, this president has met defeat with claims of fraud and the effort to overturn the 2020 election.
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president → meet → election
But when we met with him in the White House on Friday for his first sit-down interview since the midterms, we found him in a surprisingly reflective mood, and seemingly accepting of defeat.
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we → meet → defeat
Our wide-ranging conversation covered: immigration and corruption, Iran and artificial intelligence, his potential successors and his own mortality.
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conversation → range → immigration
But we began with the election results.
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we → begin → results
Two years ago, you won a big, some might say historic, victory.
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some → win → victory
Just now, the Republican party in the midterms suffered a big, some might say, historic defeat.
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some → suffer → defeat
Give me your political analysis of what just happened.
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what → give → analysis
But I campaigned hard for some people.
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I → campaign → people
And-- I think if I was on the ballot, it would've been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love.
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you → think → popularity
We had massive rallies.
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We → have → rallies
You had to transfer those voters, however, to candidates that they didn't like.
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they → have → that
They didn't like the war.
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They → like → war
They didn't like the fact that gasoline went up, 'cause I had it down at a low, and there's-- a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.
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it → like → Israel
Let's go through those then one by one.
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's → let → one
You said it was tough to transfer your own appeal to candidates
President Donald Trump:
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it → say → candidates
But in a lot of cases, you picked the candidates.
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you → pick → candidates
You endorsed Ken Paxton--
President Donald Trump: Well, I--
Ross Douthat: --in Texas.
President Donald Trump: I--
Ross Douthat:
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You → endorse → Trump
He had a tough time.
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He → have → time
You endorsed Darline Graham--
President Donald Trump: But-- but Cornyn--
Ross Douthat: --in South Carolina.
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You → endorse → Carolina
President Donald Trump: --Cornyn would've lost also.
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--Cornyn → lose → ?
Darline, I did that in-- honor of a man named Lindsey, who was a friend of mine.
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who → do → mine
And she fought hard.
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she → fight → ?
She fought hard.
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She → fight → ?
She really did.
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She → do → ?
She lost a very Republican state.
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She → lose → state
Oh--
Ross Douthat: To a very liberal challenger--
President Donald Trump: I won-- I won South Carolina by the highest vote in history by far.
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I → win → history
I won Texas by the highest vote in history by far.
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I → win → history
I won Florida who, by the way, I did endorse.
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I → win → way
And he's gonna be-- a great governor and a great senator.
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he → go → governor
I endorsed both of them.
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I → endorse → them
And, had I not endorsed them, they wouldn't have won.
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they → endorse → them
Why can't it transfer?
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it → transfer → ?
You-- you were out on the trail, and you said--
President Donald Trump: It didn't transfer--
Ross Douthat:
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It → said-- → trail
You said, "Vote like I'm on the ballot."
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I → say → ballot
And people didn't?
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people → do → ?
Or-- or did they?
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they → do → ?
Did they vote because they were mad at you--
President Donald Trump:
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they → vote → Trump
I think they didn't vote, really.
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they → think → ?
I think in some cases, they didn't like the candidates.
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they → think → candidates
…and 353 more, not listed.
The Aporia
