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Trump administration officials and allies are starting to debate who will shoulder the blame if Republicans perform poorly in November. The White House has witnessed an uptick in drama driven by the midterms, from maneuvering to replace chief of staff Susie Wiles to finger-pointing at James Blair, President Donald Trump’s outside adviser whose recent work trip to Republika Srpska frustrated the president because of its proximity to the November elections. Wiles seems safe; Trump has issued multiple emphatic endorsements of his chief of staff. Some suggest Blair will get blamed, though his tension with Trump has subsided for now. Others predict Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could draw ire due to the unpopular Iran war. It all depends on how Republicans measure up to the dire predictions — sources close to the White House say Republicans holding onto the Senate is likely to satisfy Trump at this point. The White House dismissed the talk as “armchair” speculation. “These armchair experts peddling their baseless speculation to Semafor have no idea what they’re talking about and are focused on themselves, not helping the President,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “President Trump is laser-focused on maintaining Republican majorities in Congress this November, which is why he is traveling across the country highlighting the historic victories his Administration has delivered for the American people.”
document fetched 2026-10-23 22:19 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/10/19/2026/white-house-allies-play-midterms-blame-game