The leaked recording that shows why Republicans are done with Trump

The US President has cleared his White House diary to concentrate on the midterm elections. Trump regards himself as “the closer”, the guy who can seal the deal with voters. While spineless Republicans fear losing their shirts on 3 November, Trump told Time magazine he was ready to fight. “We’ll do okay if I campaign, and I intend to,” he said. “If I campaign…you don’t give me enough credit. When I campaign, I give people a lot.” He has just embarked on a 32-day swing through at least 17 states, an impressive schedule for the 80-year-old President. Rallies are his comfort zone, where he can do the Trump jig to disco hits like YMCA and thrill to the sound of Pavarotti belting out Nessun Dorma, with its promise of “Vincero” (“I will win”). But Trump’s name is not on the congressional ballot. Some Republican lawmakers would prefer him to keep his nose out of their races, but they lack the courage to say it to his face. On Thursday, Trump was at a truck plant in Texas, in a bid to shore up Ken Paxton’s campaign for Senate. This state should be an easy win for Republicans with their ultra-Maga candidate, but James Talarico, his Democratic opponent, is narrowly ahead in the polls. On stage, Trump made fun of Paxton. “He can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I’ll be honest. Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. I didn’t know if he was here. I don’t care!” He has previously trashed the Republican nominee as a poor dresser and “not the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen”. This trolling was probably funnier if you were there. Privately, however, Paxton would appear to be seething with Trump. According to the New York Times, the candidate was caught on audio at a closed-door donor meeting complaining that the Republican party’s midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, last month was a bust. Republican US Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton waves as President Donald Trump speaks (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP) “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” Paxton was asked about an unspecified person, thought to be the President. He then went on to talk about the impact of Trump’s convention. “So, to be honest with you,” he replied, “The numbers – when we did that convention – it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped.” Paxton was right. According to RealClearPolitics’s polling averages, the Democrats benefited from a 2.3 point bounce at the close of the GOP convention on 10 September , rising from 48.1 per cent to 50.4 per cent support, with the Republicans languishing on just over 42 per cent – where they remain stuck to this day. The $40m convention was dubbed the “Trumpapalooza” because it was all about the President and his Vice-President, JD Vance. Lawmakers who felt obliged to show up for loyalty’s sake griped on the quiet that it was a distraction that took them away from campaigning on local issues in their home states. If Republicans lose the House and Senate (the latter is still a stretch for Democrats), they will know who to blame. Privately, reports say, Republicans are becoming increasingly irritated with the President. With his failure to make lives more affordable and the war in Iran, Republicans fear they will be punished at the ballot box come November for Trump’s mistakes. Many are done with Trump, but whether they will have the nerve to do so during the lame-duck years of his presidency remains in doubt. “Can’t live with him, can’t live without him” has always defined the relationship between the Grand Old Party and Trump. The private sentiments of plenty of Republican congressmen are akin to those of broadcaster Tucker Carlson, whose personal texts were disclosed as part of Dominion Voting System’s legal battle with Fox News over whether the 2020 election was rigged. “I hate him passionately,” Carlson revealed. “There isn’t really an upside to Trump.” The two-faced Carlson went on to campaign for Trump in 2024 but has since called for his removal from office for launching the Iran war. However, while Carlson is answerable only to his audience and free to say what he likes, Republican congressmen are answerable to their primary voters. They have proven to be vulnerable to deselection as long as Trump retains the loyalty of his base. Angry texts have just emerged in Politico from a retiring Senator, North Carolina’s Thomas Tillis, who says in a forthcoming book he told Trump, “I don’t take that bullshit from anyone” when the latter boasted on social media he wouldn’t endorse him. The President’s campaign itinerary suggests he is more focused on juicing up the affections of his Maga voters than he is on persuading independents and disaffected Republicans to rejoin his big tent. On the face of it, this seems mad, but it makes perfect sense from Trump’s point of view. On leaving Texas, he went straight to Oklahoma and Alabama, two safe, ruby-red Republican states. His next stops are in Ohio and Nebraska, two red states with strong Maga contingents where independent voters have been peeling away. He has yet to venture into more hostile territory. Showing social media clips of adoring Republicans cheering Trump on could help to build momentum and boost turn-out among Maga voters, who might otherwise stay away on polling day. If this strategy works and Republicans outperform polling expectations, the party will remain in thrall to Trump. If it fails, Trump will unleash his dogs on anybody who says publicly what they privately believe to be true: that Trump is a drag on the ticket and his second-term presidency has fractured the coalition that delivered him victory.