President Donald Trump’s aides were reeling from the scale of Republican losses on Tuesday night, but they almost immediately began figuring out who to blame.
\n\nThe ultimate responsibility, officials acknowledged only in private, lay with Trump for taking the country into an unpopular war with Iran that drove up prices, which became the number one issue for voters.
\n\nBut in the absence of being able to blame Trump publicly, there has been growing pressure to find scapegoats in all places, from cabinet officials to White House aides to conservative media commentators.
\n\nRecalling how then-president George W. Bush pushed out defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld after the GOP lost both chambers in 2006, sources say there is an expectation from furious officials and donors for Trump to do something similar.
\n\nTrump does not seem to have made up his mind on whether he should, sources say, in part because of a recognition that there was perhaps not much that his staff could have done to stave off such overwhelming Democratic victories.
\n\nHe has also been advised recently, sources tell Inner Loop, that it may be better to keep top staff inside the proverbial tent to ensure they remain loyal in the event…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/