Does Trump Want to Lose the Midterms?
About this episode
Klein interviews Republican strategist Liam Donovan about whether Trump is sabotaging his own party's midterm prospects. Donovan argues Trump governs as if he doesn't care about the midterms, pursuing maximalist, unpopular policies on tariffs, deportations, and institutional demolition that historically cost presidents their majorities. They walk through the structural forces: the president's party almost always loses seats, Trump's approval is underwater, and tariffs function as a regressive tax on his own voters. Donovan explains the internal GOP dynamics — why congressional Republicans won't constrain Trump, the role of primaries and fear — while Klein asks whether Democrats can capitalize. Their disagreement: Donovan thinks a midterm loss could discipline Trumpism; Klein doubts electoral mechanics alone can check a movement willing to bend them.