The mental problems of Donald Trump are nothing new, but today gave yet another insight into how pathologically unable he is to admit defeat or shortcoming in anything. It is stunning how the man can’t accept the simple ups and downs that the rest of humanity takes as its just portion.
Tuesday night, the Republican primary for the U.S. House seat vacated by Ron Wright upon his death from COVID-19 was won by Jake Ellzey and not the Trump-endorsed candidate, Susan Wright, widow of the congressman. Now Trump is blaming everybody from Democrats to Club For Growth’s David McIntosh for the loss. Translation: the fact that the Trump endorsement wasn’t magic is waaaay too terrifying a prospect for Trump to contemplate. He needs to stay under the bed for the rest of the day, sucking his thumb and rocking, thank you very much. Axios:
Trump himself disputed the result had dented his power. In a phone call with Axios on Wednesday, the former president conceded McIntosh had pushed him to support Wright but blamed Democrats — not the Club for Growth — for Ellzey’s victory.
- He also said he actually “won” because Wright had bested Ellzey in the initial primary and the runoff came down to two Republicans he liked.
“I think this is the only race we’ve lost together,” Trump said of McIntosh and the Club for Growth, before catching himself mid-sentence on the word “lost.”
“This is the only race we’ve … this is not a loss, again, I don’t want to claim it is a loss, this was a win. …The big thing is, we had two very good people running that were both Republicans. That was the win.”
Trump is notorious for shifting or refusing to accept blame for any failure, whether as a businessman or a politician.
The Club for Growth spent more than $1 million on the run-off, making it easily the top outside spender.
“It was a win that any Republican won, okay? You people are so picky. If I put all the Republicans in a hat and threw them in the air anybody that fell back in the hat — or on the floor — would be the winner. You guys keep messing with me and I won’t even put these losers in the hat. Then you’ll see.”
Actually, Trump putting them in a hat might work just as well, if not better.
What we’re hearing: Trump advisers and allies, including former Texas governor and Trump administration Energy secretary Rick Perry, remain furious at McIntosh.
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“He [Trump] totally was taken to the cleaners by the Club for Growth,” said Perry, who has a long and close relationship with Ellzey. “There has to be a reckoning for the Club for Growth. …This whole debacle for the president can be centered on the Club for Growth and David McIntosh.”
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Perry said he called Trump a few months ago — before he’d endorsed Wright — and told him to stay out of the race because he had a great candidate called Ellzey down in Texas. Trump ignored his advice.
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“For the Club for Growth to have actively tried to destroyed this guy’s reputation, …you’ve gotta be shi—ing me,” said Perry, who called Ellzey an “American hero.”
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“That’s what I’ve come to understand about David McIntosh and the Club for Growth,” Perry said. “They will say anything, do anything. And they put Donald J. Trump in jeopardy.”
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“In the state of Texas, Mr. McIntosh, we care about character and we care about the truth,” Perry added, “and we would just as soon the Club for Growth never darken the state of Texas again.”
Bottom line: A source close to the situation said they think Trump will be more cautious about whose advice he listens to when it comes to intervening in Republican primaries.
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Other Trump advisers said the episode has damaged the Club for Growth’s credibility.
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They also acknowledged the former president can’t afford too many more losses if he wants to preserve his power inside the Republican Party.
This could be catastrophic, if you stop to think about it. Trump has been huffing and puffing and threatening to blow Lisa Murkowski’s house down and this is one indication that it may not be all that easy, let alone automatic. Plus, he’s rained on Doug Ducey’s parade and he’s coming up for reelection next year and let’s not even get started on Brian Kemp or any of the election officials in Georgia. They’ve had plenty of sleepless nights already and it’s still summer of ’21.
Roll it over in your mind, even as Donald has: 1. We’re talking about one lousy congressional district in Texas; 2. Trump is Gawd in Texas; 3. Trump’s candidate lost. 4. ?
Imagine Robby the Robot frying its circuits and you have some semblance of the situation.
I remember back in 78, while skydiving at a cowboy outfit in Oregon, I lost touch with the reality of the ground. It was my 4th jump where I had to pull my own chute. The previous jumps were done with the plane flying up, with no door, to thousands of feet. I then stepped on a little plate as I held onto the strutts. The cord was attached & pulled as I jumped, no tandems then. I focused so much on pulling my cord after falling for awhile at 120mph, that relief swept over me. Floating for a long time I forgot about gravity. The real things never leave us. Eventually the ground started zooming closer. Baby trump may be lost floating around in his narcissism but gravity awaits.
Gravity awaits and it’s called the Manhattan D.A.’s office and the State of New York.
HOPE SO!
It’s funny that Trump would blame Democrats for the loss. Doing a little check, I found the Wiki page on that special election. Turns out it was a “jungle primary” so everyone who wanted to run would be on the ballot (I’m guessing if they filed the paperwork and paid the necessary fees) and the turn out was more than 78,000. Those top two finishers combined for barely a third of the total vote (the top Democrat in the race finished third, just under 350 votes behind Ellzey’s total–maybe she should’ve called to have the vote “audited” to confirm the results lol). At any rate, the run-off election attracted less than half the initial vote (a 100+ votes shy of the 50% mark).
Now, adding up all the votes that went to the candidates by party listing in the original primary, more than 48,000 votes went to “a” Republican (of whom there were 11) while a little more than 29,000 votes went to “a” Democrat (of whom there were 10). So, the run-off didn’t even manage to attract all the Republican voters who voted in the original primary but Trump–for, “reasons”–wants to blame Democrats for *his* candidate’s loss?
This seat will be up again in 2022. I hope the top Dem decides to go again. I don’t really see much from such a low turn out race other than trump could not get the crazies out to vote. Maybe enough dems decided to turn out for the less crazy candidate. We are talking about hundreds of votes. not thousands.
So was this still a primary? Or is Ellzey the new Congressman right now?
He is the new congressperson, replacing the dead guy from covid. will be up for election in 2022.
Ursula… The Donald is a thumb sucker who pouts and has a tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants. Spoiled 2 Year old in a very ugly body.
He’s such a child. Whenever I write about his tantrums, I write in my Little Ursula voice. Little Ursula is four years old. Trump has never gotten beyond that maturity level.
The former guy didn’t have to endorse anyone. Has he forgotten he can say “no” to requests from the GQP?
P J: Why did Hitler invade Russia, despite historical precedence, and his top advisers advice? He thought he knew more than they did. Trump actually thought he could run the US of A as a corporate enterprise; We all see how that worked out. Perhaps Trump should reread his Art Of The Deal book again.
Most of us try to learn from mistakes, or things that don’t turn out as we hoped. However, it seems Trump is not into learning, besides ways to be more cunning or vindictive.
Perry doesn’t want the Club for Growth to darken the state of Texas again.
That job belongs to ERCOT. 🙂
When will this drama end? Will the GOP ever get back on track or are they doomed to keep their seat on the trump train that derailed a long time ago? Don’t they realize Americans are watching them? Do they even care? trump without doubt is the most evil person that has had the title of President of the United States of America! I cant believe that any person follows that pig! He is a dictator in waiting and if he gets his way this will no longer be the UNITED anything! His minions will be floored when he takes their precious guns away…………no dictator allows his minions to be armed! Here is a thought conveyed by Larry Tribe worth putting to trump………… Laurence Tribe
@tribelaw
If Trump was indeed “elected to the office of president” both in 2016 and in 2020, as he insists he was, then he’s ineligible to run in 2024 under the 22nd Amendment. He can’t have it both ways. So, Donald, which is it?
I’d love to watch as what is left of his brain melts down with that question!