Trump Has a Plan to Give Taxpayer Money Directly to His Friends—and It Still Might Not Be This Week’s Worst Political Blunder

Patrick Reis, Ian Prasad Philbrick· May 23, 2026 · 9:45 AM UTC ·8 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 35 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

Donald Trump continues to exert significant influence over the Republican Party, often to the detriment of its broader electoral success. His endorsements have led to the downfall of certain GOP incumbents, raising concerns about the party's ability to win in the midterms. Meanwhile, Democrats are struggling to capitalize on these opportunities as they grapple with internal conflicts.

Key facts

▪Donald Trump's endorsements have made or broken GOP candidates, leading to significant political consequences.
▪Recent polling indicates that only 37 percent of Americans approve of Trump's performance, impacting his party's prospects.
▪Trump's support for candidates with controversial backgrounds may provide Democrats with unexpected advantages in upcoming elections.

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Original publisher	Slate
Canonical URL	https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/05/trump-midterms-democrats-weaponization-iran.html?via=rss
Publication time	Sat, 23 May 2026 09:45:00 GMT
Retrieval time	2026-05-23T09:47:26.258Z
Last seen	2026-05-23T09:47:26.258Z
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Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

Politics Does Anyone Want to Win the Midterms? Trump keeps handing Democrats massive opportunities ahead of the midterms. Can the party figure out what to do with them? By Patrick Reis and Ian Prasad Philbrick May 23, 20265:45 AM Copy Link Share Share Comment <img class="lazyloaded" loading="lazy" src="https://compote.slate.com/images/85514d43-ee9e-4ab0-81b4-4ca8b4fabc89.jpeg?crop=1560%2C1040%2Cx0%2Cy0" alt="Ken Paxton and Donald Trump." width="1560" height="1040" /> Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images, Evan Vucci/Pool/Getty Images, and Getty Images Plus. Sign up for the Surge, the newsletter that covers the most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday.

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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Slate.

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