# Theory: Trump \*wants\* to lose the midterm elections **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 25, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365 "2026-05-25T11:53:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/21 "2026-05-26T16:28:34Z")
Beyond anything else, Trump hates the thought of being irrelevant, which is a large part of why he keeps hinting at an illegal third Presidential run in '28. Losing one (or less likely, both) houses of Congress would spur more Republicans to save their own necks by abandoning him, something infuriating and humiliating for a degenerating narcissist. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/22 "2026-05-26T16:35:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Trump is outright pathological about “winning” and being a “winner”. I don’t think he’d even consider wanting to lose something; it’s not how he’s wired. Exactly. Trump doesn’t want to lose. What he does want, however, is for the Republicans who most diligently lick his boots and bow down to him to win at the expense of those who don’t do that, even if the latter have a better chance of winning a general election. If that means that he endorses someone like Ken Paxton for the senate instead of John Cornyn, even though John Cornyn has a better chance to win the general election against James Talarico, well, that’s just an unfortunate side effect from Trump’s perspective. ETA: It’s like a coach who plays his favorite players rather than the best ones during the big game. The coach doesn’t necessarily want to lose, he just cares more about the loyalty shown by his favorites than he does about putting his best team on the field. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/23 "2026-05-26T16:51:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > An obvious one is to declare any losing election the result of fraud and demand a recount, which will of course be controlled by them and “discover” the Republican “won”. Just like what didn’t happen in 2020? Or every special election Democrats have won in the last 2 years? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/24 "2026-05-26T17:05:20Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Just like what didn’t happen in 2020? Or every special election Democrats have won in the last 2 years? In 2020, Trump hadn’t realized just how much he could get away with by simply ignoring the law, nor was the Republican machine ready to do the same. Now he is and they are. If Trump had tried back then and simply declared himself the winner and continued to act as President, I think the odds are quite good that the Democrats would have simply submitted. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/25 "2026-05-26T17:26:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > If Trump had tried back then and simply declared himself the winner and continued to act as President, I think the odds are quite good that the Democrats would have simply submitted. I don’t. It’s one thing to cheat and to try to put a thumb on the scales, but quite another to flip the game board over and declare yourself the winner (to mix metaphors). At a minimum this would result in a constitutional crisis, and could well lead to civil war. That goes for 2028 as much as 2020. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/26 "2026-05-26T17:31:54Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I don’t. It’s one thing to cheat and to try to put a thumb on the scales, but quite another to flip the game board over and declare yourself the winner (to mix metaphors). Right. Or the way I’ve described it before, it’s one thing to throw a spitball, cork a bat, deflate a football, use steroids, whatever, and another thing entirely to force the scorekeeper to change the final score despite what happened on the field. As you say, I think the latter would have led to a civil war. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/27 "2026-05-26T17:33:03Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I don’t. It’s one thing to cheat and to try to put a thumb on the scales, but quite another to flip the game board over and declare yourself the winner (to mix metaphors). > > At a minimum this would result in a constitutional crisis, and could well lead to civil war. That goes for 2028 as much as 2020. You are far more willing to believe that anyone in authority will actually stand up to Trump than I am. Or that the law still matters. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/28 "2026-05-26T17:42:14Z")
In response to the OP: Trump is too dumb to do any sort of complex subterfuge I-look-like-I-want-X-but-I-really-want-Y Brer Rabbit and the Briarbush sort of scheme. With this guy, what you see is what you get. He is blatantly transparent; he’s like a 4-year old. There is no reason Trump would want the Republicans to lose the midterms. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/29 "2026-05-26T17:43:17Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > I don’t. It’s one thing to cheat and to try to put a thumb on the scales, but quite another to flip the game board over and declare yourself the winner (to mix metaphors). > > > > At a minimum this would result in a constitutional crisis, and could well lead to civil war. That goes for 2028 as much as 2020. > > You are far more willing to believe that anyone in authority will actually stand up to Trump than I am. Or that the law still matters. Doesn’t matter. I don’t think the 81 million people who voted for Biden would have just rolled over. The resulting protests would make the “No Kings” protests look like amateur hour. If Trump tried this (then or in 2028), I think he would end up in the jail cell he deserves. And he’s too much of a coward to risk this, so he’d surely pull a TACO before it got very far. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/30 "2026-05-26T17:44:38Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Doesn’t matter. I don’t think the 81 million people who voted for Biden would have just rolled over. The resulting protests would make the “No Kings” protests look like amateur hour. Protests don’t matter. What matters is who controls the government and military, protestors can simply be ignored. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/31 "2026-05-26T17:56:50Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > Doesn’t matter. I don’t think the 81 million people who voted for Biden would have just rolled over. The resulting protests would make the “No Kings” protests look like amateur hour. > > Protests don’t matter. What matters is who controls the government and military, protestors can simply be ignored. Protests leads to a general strike which leads to riots which leads to martial law which leads to a civil war. No idea how that would play out. And note that the military knows how the law works as well. And Democratic governors control the National Guard in their states. They would ignore any orders to federalize their troops from a pretender. But in no case is Trump going to be able to simply declare himself the winner in violation of the law and everyone just goes home and accepts it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/32 "2026-05-26T18:05:39Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Protests leads to a general strike which leads to riots which leads to martial law which leads to a civil war. Protests lead to the government ignoring them until people get hungry and go back to work. Protests stopped working once governments figured that out. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/33 "2026-05-26T18:25:05Z")
I don’t think Trump cares about governing or majorities. Certainly not this term. He cares about himself, enriching himself, and revenge. Republicans appear to be putting their faith in gerrymandering to do what they can to hold on. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/34 "2026-05-26T18:33:25Z")
> [@bump](#): > > My suspicion is that the war was some sort of distraction or something he intended to make himself look good by being tough on Iran, but he didn’t expect the economic consequences. I agree. I suspect that he was sold on attacking Iran by Hegseth and other advisors, who made the case that: - The Iranians would quickly roll over - Eliminating senior Iranian leadership would directly and immediately lead to a spontaneous uprising among the Iranian people, who would see Trump as a savior for eliminating their oppressors - It would let Trump crow that he had easily accomplished what his predecessors (_especially_ Obama and Biden) had been unable to - Once Iran’s threat was removed, gas prices would go down instantly, and the American people would praise Trump ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/35 "2026-05-26T18:57:37Z")
During his first term, it was reported that when the military took him a list of options of how to proceed militarily, he would inevitably pick the most extreme option even though that was presented more to be something pass the limits of rationality. As a result, the report was that the military would dial back the list of options in an attempt to reduce his choice of extreme measures. If those reports were true, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hegseth was making the list more extreme instead. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/36 "2026-05-26T19:37:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Trump has only got away with breaking the law because he’s had a Congress that’s refused to enforce the law. Right. The current GOP leadership in congress is corrupt yes-men. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The Republicans have been in control of Congress. Blaming the Democrats for what Congress has been doing is silly. Yeah, I dont get that either. Other than the Filibuster, the Dems cant really do anything. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > And as I constantly maintain, a former president Trump won’t be forced to testify because his health means he will be dead or incapacitated before the end of his term. “From your lips to God’s ears” is an old Yiddish saying. > [@Odesio](#): > > Not for one second do I believe Trump wants the Republicans to lose the mid-term elections. Not in general- but say some Republican who angered trump somehow, but that who wasnt primaried out? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/37 "2026-05-26T20:12:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not in general- but say some Republican who angered trump somehow, but that who wasnt primaried out? He’s rather those people win if it means keeping control of Congress. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/38 "2026-05-27T00:29:44Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > He’s rather those people win if it means keeping control of Congress. There is where I differ- he is petty and vindictive. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/39 "2026-05-27T00:37:20Z")
Congress has no power to force him to testify, nor any way to punish (short of impeachment and conviction if he does commit perjury. And that’s even without the SCOTUS award of impunity. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365/40 "2026-05-27T00:39:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is where I differ- he is petty and vindictive. Oh, I think we all agree Trumps is petty, vindictive, and he has stubby fingers. But if given the choice between retaining control of Congress or having the opportunity to get back at RINO politicians who didn’t 100% agree with him he’d bit the latter. But he does lack self-control, so I certainly wouldn’t put it past him say or do things that help lead to a Republican loss, but I don’t think it’d be deliberate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theory-trump-wants-to-lose-the-midterm-elections/1030365.md?page=3)