WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., didn’t mince words when he was asked what happened to Republicans in the midterm election.
\n\n“We forgot those people out there are hurting, and they vote,” said Justice, a former governor who is in his first term in the Senate. “We got our ever-loving butt handed to us.”
\n\nBut when he was asked whether President Donald Trump made mistakes that fueled the resounding defeat — such as starting the unpopular Iran war and levying tariffs that drove up costs — Justice hesitated.
\n\n“Look, everything plays a part in the whole deal,” he said, without blaming Trump.
\n\nHe said Trump was given advice about Iran and processed the situation “as best he possibly can.”
\n\nThe remarks capture the Republican zeitgeist on Capitol Hill after the party suffered one of its biggest electoral disasters of the century, losing over 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats, some in deep red territory. The results and the exit polls tell a clear story: A country that elected Trump in 2024 to lower the cost of living deemed him a failure on that core promise, blaming his policies for making things worse and punishing Republicans from coast…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business