Former US Congressman Tom Garrett Blames Trump for Republican Midterm Losses

Former US Congressman Tom Garrett has attributed the Republican Party's losses in the 2026 midterm elections to unfulfilled campaign promises, weak communication, and President Donald Trump's resistance to criticism. In an interview with Steve Clemons on Al Jazeera English's The Bottom Line, Garrett, a Virginia Republican, urged his party to examine why it failed to retain voters' confidence on issues such as household expenses, immigration enforcement, and the war with Iran.

The Associated Press has called control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the Democrats following the 3 November elections, leaving Trump facing opposition majorities in Congress during the remaining two years of his presidency. Garrett accepted the Republican defeat and argued that the party needed to confront its shortcomings. He identified a recurring failure to fulfil promises as a source of frustration among Republican supporters, who had mobilised to return Trump to the White House but subsequently struggled to deliver the changes they expected.

Garrett criticised the Republican approach to the cost of living, saying that party leaders had relied too heavily on confrontation, identity politics, and appeals to fear, rather than explaining how their policies would improve household finances. He argued that Republicans should have contested Democratic arguments about affordability more directly, including through comparisons of energy and food costs across states. Garrett also acknowledged that Trump's polarising political style could have encouraged opponents to participate more actively in the elections.

The former congressman also questioned the Republican party's handling of the war with Iran, saying that Trump had failed to explain the purpose of the military campaign sufficiently to sustain public support. He acknowledged that he understood aspects of the strategic objective the president believed he was pursuing, but questioned how effectively the administration had justified the costs to Americans. Garrett said politicians familiar with electoral pressures would ordinarily recognise the risks of allowing a costly conflict to continue through an election campaign.

Garrett's criticism extended to the US relationship with Israel, which came into focus during the discussion of the Iran war. Trump said on election day that Washington would end approximately $4 billion in annual funding for Israel after 2026, claiming that he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the scope and implementation of the announcement remained unclear, with an existing agreement providing $3.8 billion in annual military assistance through 2028.

On immigration, Garrett criticised both major parties for retaining laws that political leaders had shown little willingness to enforce consistently or revise. He argued that lawmakers should change provisions they were unwilling to apply, as maintaining laws while implementing them unevenly undermined confidence in the legal system. Garrett also acknowledged that aspects of enforcement under Trump had been excessively harsh and accused politicians across party lines of contributing to the conditions that produced both increased migration and the subsequent backlash.

The White House announced on 6 November that Stephen Miller would succeed Susie Wiles as chief of staff, which Garrett interpreted as a possible indication that Trump was drawing closer to advisers who reinforced his existing views. Garrett questioned whether the change would expose Trump to the disagreement necessary for an effective review of the election, describing Trump as "not terribly coachable" and stressing that he had not participated in the private discussions surrounding the decision.

Key points

• Trump's polarising style and failure to fulfil campaign promises contributed to Republican losses
• Garrett criticised Republican approach to cost of living and handling of Iran war
• Former congressman urged party to re-examine its shortcomings and consider changing course