Adam Droge

If you’re on the right, looking at tonight’s election results, you might be tempted to start pointing fingers. Maybe you blame Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, MTG, Joe Kent, Matt Walsh, or Thomas Massie. But I think those answers are wrong. The buck stops with Trump. People were upset about how he handled the Epstein files. He dismissed their concerns and told them to move on. People were upset about ICE arresting people at workplaces, in their cars, at schools, and in courthouses. They watched citizens and otherwise productive members of society get caught up in enforcement actions rather than seeing the administration focus on violent criminals and those with serious criminal records. People were upset that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continued despite Trump’s promises to bring peace. People were upset that he did virtually nothing to address the national debt crisis. Instead, he added to it. People were upset that he sent Pete Hegseth to Kentucky to campaign against Thomas Massie, one of the few Republicans consistently willing to challenge his own party on spending and constitutional principles. And despite all of that, I think Trump still could have weathered the criticism. He could have focused on the American economy. Lower grocery prices. Lower gas prices. Lower interest rates. Give Americans some financial breathing room. Instead, he went to war with Iran. It started with the “12-Day War.” A lot of people didn’t like it, but there was at least a defensible argument for it. The administration insisted that Iran’s nuclear program had been devastated and set back decades. Apparently, that was only halftime. Trump then launched a much larger war against Iran, pursuing regime change despite campaigning against the very sort of foreign intervention he was now undertaking. This was not what many of his voters signed up for. There wasn’t even a consensus that Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat requiring such an intervention. But the administration pushed forward anyway, suggesting the operation would be over in six weeks. That was more than eight months ago. And what have Americans gotten in return? No durable peace. No clear definition of victory. No convincing exit strategy. And higher energy costs that have rippled through the economy. For decades, American presidents had avoided a war of this magnitude with Iran. There were good reasons for that restraint. You can argue about why Trump made the decision. Was it pressure from Israel? Marco Rubio? Intelligence about Iran’s nuclear capabilities? A genuine belief that regime change would make the world safer? Those are legitimate questions. But they don’t change the political reality. Trump made the decision. He owns the consequences. And many of the same voters who overwhelmingly supported him in 2024 did so because they believed he would prioritize America, avoid unnecessary foreign wars, and improve their economic circumstances. Instead, they got another prolonged Middle Eastern conflict and an administration telling them the economic consequences were worth it. Apparently, a lot of voters disagree. And if tonight’s results deliver Democrats control of both the House and Senate, Trump will have effectively turned himself into a lame-duck president for the remainder of his term. Not because Tucker criticized him. Not because Massie opposed him. Not because Candace questioned him. But because Trump made decisions that alienated the very people who put him in office. I’ve never seen such a remarkable fall from grace in such a short period of time. And I think the most frustrating part is how avoidable so much of it was.