Ten days since the 2025 elections, President Donald Trump and his allies are reeling, reports Newsweek columnist Jesus Mesa.
“A series of political blows have left his allies rattled, his base divided, and his once-durable administration suddenly strained,” Mesa explained. The pain began with different Republican factions clawing at one another following a bad off-year election.
“We got our a– handed to us,” said Trump ally and failed Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, reflecting on the 2025 elections.
Trump “moved quickly to deflect blame,” Mesa noted. On his Truth Social site, Trump declared, “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT,” and during a Fox News interview the next morning, he insisted, “It’s no good if we do a great job and [Republicans] don’t talk about it.”
However, exit polls indicated that voters were responding to broader concerns about the state of the country—especially the economy—which they firmly associate with Trump’s policies, according to Mesa. Combined with the president’s faltering support among Latino voters, Republicans were routed by unexpected margins. These results look grim for the upcoming mid-term elections if the national mood does not improve.
Shortly after the elections, Mesa reported that Trump further enflamed his MAGA base during an interview with Laura Ingraham. When pressed on whether the U.S. should continue issuing H-1B visas to foreign tech workers, Trump defended the program.
“You do need to bring in talent,” he said, adding that the U.S. lacks certain skills necessary for high-tech industries.
When Ingraham pushed back, stating, “We have plenty of talented people here,” Trump responded flatly: “No, you don’t.”
The “America First” MAGA influence-sphere exploded in response, accusing Trump of betrayal. “On-again, off-again allies like Ann Coulter and other far-right figures lashed out, calling the comment a slap in the face to American workers,” Mesa reported.
By the next day, Trump’s aides insisted he was referring to the failures of the U.S. education system—not American talent itself.
But that was not the end of the turmoil, Mesa added.
Just as Trump was declaring victory over a potential government shutdown, new revelations pulled convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein back into the spotlight.
“On November 12 for another day.”
And it’s not over.
https://www.alternet.org/trump-jeffrey-epstein-petition/
