New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has framed the 2026 midterm elections as a stunning rejection of greed, corruption and meanness, saying Democrats trounced Republicans and describing revulsion against the Trump administration.
Dowd described the results as remarkable and beyond anyone’s imagination. She noted that Texas, Iowa and Ohio are now swing states with Democratic governors. She also wrote that Trump lost a lot of rural America with his tariff policy and lost more voters who were appalled that a Republican president was drawn into an unnecessary, intractable and costly Middle East war.
The column says Trump named Stephen Miller, whom Dowd described as a hard-line architect of a pitiless ICE strategy, as his chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, after making conciliatory noises about working with the new Democratic majority. Hakeem Jeffries wrote that Miller was a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who had American blood on his hands. The column reports that Megyn Kelly denounced Trump for his grifting and broken promises and said Republicans would need a new, charismatic, honest, ethical leader.
Elon Musk, Dowd reports, squandered nearly $US500 million trying to prop up Ken Paxton and other Republican candidates. Dowd wrote that many Republicans felt squeezed on food and gas prices and began to gag at talk of the expensive monuments to Trump’s ego and his family’s cavalier corruption. She added that people who had once enjoyed Trump’s billionaire ways turned bilious at the first family’s self-enrichment and peddling of tacky products.
Dowd also catalogued Trump's personal conduct during the campaign, writing that voters were appalled by his insults of female reporters and bigoted attacks on Abdul El-Sayed over his Muslim faith, as well as the administration's defence of a Vivek Ramaswamy advertisement that featured the long-estranged mother of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The midterm outcome reshapes the US political map, placing Texas, Iowa and Ohio in play for 2028 and handing Democrats a powerful mandate for the remainder of Trump's term.
- Stephen Miller's elevation to chief of staff signals a more confrontational White House strategy, raising the stakes for domestic policy and immigration enforcement.
- The column captures a cross-party sense of voter fatigue with Trump's style, potentially reshaping the Republican primary field ahead of 2028.
Background
The 2026 midterm elections were widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's second term. The results, heavily in favour of Democrats, immediately triggered analysis of the durability of the Trump coalition. Maureen Dowd, a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, has been a prominent critic of Trump since his first campaign.
Key Perspectives
- Maureen Dowd: The midterms were a stunning rejection of what she called Trump's gaudy, corrupt and heartless rule, driven by voter disgust with tariffs, war, corruption and personal cruelty.
- Hakeem Jeffries: Described Stephen Miller as a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist with American blood on his hands.
- Megyn Kelly: Said Republicans need a new, charismatic, honest, ethical leader, criticising Trump for his grifting and broken promises.
- Elon Musk: The column reports Musk spent heavily on Republican candidates without securing the desired outcome.
What to Watch
- The political fallout from Trump's decision to appoint Stephen Miller as chief of staff over the final two years of his term.
- How newly elected Democratic governors in Texas, Iowa and Ohio leverage their platforms.
- The emerging Republican leadership contest and the party's search for a new standard-bearer ahead of 2028.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
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- SupportedDowd’s column casts the midterm results as voters rejecting Trump.WA Today - Latest News: “The American people have finally turned on Trump. ... We saved ourselves and our democracy, in a stunning rejection of greed and corruption and meanness.”
- SupportedDowd says Democrats trounced Republicans and the revulsion against the Trump administration was remarkable, beyond anyone’s imagination.WA Today - Latest News: “The Democratic trouncing of the Republicans and the propulsion of the revulsion against the Trump administration are remarkable – beyond anyone’s imagination.”
- SupportedThe column says Texas, Iowa and Ohio are now swing states with Democratic governors.WA Today - Latest News: “Texas, Iowa and Ohio are now swing states with Democratic governors.”
- SupportedTrump named Stephen Miller chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, after making conciliatory noises about working with the new Democratic majority.WA Today - Latest News: “After making conciliatory noises about working with the new Democratic majority, Trump gave the Democrats – and America – a raspberry by naming the odious Stephen Miller as his chief of staff, replacing the not so Iron Maiden, Susie Wiles.”
- SupportedJeffries wrote that Miller was “a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands.”WA Today - Latest News: “Hakeem Jeffries welcomed the challenge, writing that “Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands.””
- SupportedKelly said Republicans would need a “new, charismatic, honest, ethical leader.”WA Today - Latest News: “Megyn Kelly denounce him for his grifting and broken promises – Republicans will need a “new, charismatic, honest, ethical leader,” she said”
- SupportedMusk squandered nearly US$500 million trying to support Paxton and other Republican candidates.WA Today - Latest News: “Elon Musk squandered nearly $US500 million ($728 million) trying to prop up Paxton and other Republican candidates.”
- SupportedDowd says Trump lost rural voters with his tariff policy.WA Today - Latest News: “Certainly, Trump lost a lot of rural America with his mercurial, vindictive tariff policy.”
- SupportedDowd says Trump lost more voters who were appalled that a Republican president was drawn into a costly Middle East war.WA Today - Latest News: “And he lost more voters appalled that another Republican president got drawn into an unnecessary, intractable and costly Middle East war.”
- SupportedThe column describes voter anger over the first family’s self-enrichment and peddling of tacky products.WA Today - Latest News: “Even people who had once enjoyed The Donald’s gilded, high-flying billionaire ways, thinking maybe the gold dust would trickle down, turned bilious at the first family’s shameless penchant for self-enrichment and peddling of tacky products from Bibles to cologne.”
- Partly supportedDowd says voters were appalled by Trump’s insults of female reporters and bigoted attacks on Abdul El-Sayed over his Muslim faith.WA Today - Latest News: “Many were also turned off by Trump’s awful ally Bibi Netanyahu, the tormentor of Gaza who helped draw Trump into Iran. Trump called female reporters “piggy,” “ugly” and “stupid.” Both Trump and Vance hurled bigoted insults at Abdul El-Sayed about his Muslim faith”
- Partly supportedThe administration defended Vivek Ramaswamy’s advertisement featuring Amy Acton’s long-estranged mother.WA Today - Latest News: “the president and vice president reached a new nadir when they defended Vivek Ramaswamy for running an ad in the Ohio governor’s race, featuring the long-estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton”