President Trump Prepares Potential Scapegoat Ahead of Midterms
According to single-source reporting by Yahoo, President Donald Trump is reportedly eyeing his former deputy chief of staff, James Blair, to shoulder the blame should Republicans suffer a “blue wave” in the upcoming midterm elections. With just three weeks remaining before voters decide control of Congress, Republicans are privately growing anxious as Democrats pull ahead in recent polls, Puck reports.
Trump, 80, has a history of deflecting accountability and is seemingly positioning Blair—the 37-year-old architect of the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting efforts—on the chopping block. “Trump is just setting James up to take the fall,” a Republican operative close toமோ the White House told Puck.
Redistricting and Recent Controversy
Blair first pitched the idea of mid-decade redistricting to Trump in April 2025, which gained traction when the president met with GOP lawmakers in states like Texas and Missouri to redraw congressional maps. Ultimately, nine states passed new maps ahead of the midterms. Blair subsequently departed his role as deputy chief of staff in April to helm the Trump-backed super PAC MAGA Inc., a move Trump previously described as a “short leave of absence” before returning to the White House.
However, tensions arose last week after a New York Times report revealed that Blair and top Trump adviser Chris LaCivita were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each to advise on voting issues within Republika Srpska, a pro-Putin territory. In response, Trump distanced himself from the two aides on October 7, dictating to Natalie Harp on Truth Social that they were “outside consultants” who “do not work for me,” adding that he would investigate potential conflicts of interest.
Presidential Rally Push
Amid mounting political pressures, Trump has actively campaigned across the country, urging supporters at a recent Tennessee rally to “pretend I’m on the ticket.” During the rally, the president remarked, “If we don’t win the midterms, they are going to blame me. If we do win, I’ll get no credit whatsoever.”
The White House and James Blair have been approached for comment regarding the reports.