Trump deflects blame for Republican midterm losses, a familiar pattern

President Donald Trump is deflecting blame for the Republican Party's sweeping losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, which gave Democrats control of Congress, despite his earlier appeals for voters to "pretend I'm on the ballot." He told Fox News, "I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot." Democrats won Senate races in GOP strongholds like South Carolina, Kansas, and Texas, with the latter marking the first statewide Democratic victory in over three decades. An AP voter poll indicated Trump was a drag on candidates, as majorities in losing states like Ohio and Iowa viewed Republican nominees as too supportive of him. Trump has a history of blaming others for electoral failures, including after the 2018 midterms. Trump's pattern of avoiding responsibility extends beyond elections, as he has refused accountability for issues like the government shutdown and COVID-19 testing delays. He also blamed President Biden and other factors for the midterm losses, while refraining from his usual claims of widespread election fraud this time.