The November midterm elections in the USA are likely to be the last trump card former President Donald Trump can play as he looks to resurrect his political future, perhaps stand for President again. Mr Trump has spent the primary season endorsing Republican candidates whom he considers kosher all over America and the midterm polls will be the true test of his power. Their outcome will determine his clout in the Republican Party. Those watching events unfold from outside need to be mindful of the fact, though, that while some of Mr Trump’s endorsements were important to the outcome, many also went to candidates who were incumbents or were widely expected to win. Categorising Mr Trump’s endorsement strategy as “bold”, a recent article published by the Brookings Institution points out that to an extent never before seen in modern US politics, the former President has put his reputation on the line in the midterm elections. “But winning primaries is only half the battle.

While any politician or former elected official likes to tout a win-loss record (when it is flattering) of their endorsements, Mr Trump faces a second and bigger battle in the general election,” the article iterates. As things stand, with the Democrats in disarray and President Joe Biden entering the midterm elections cycle with low approval ratings, the situation is indeed favourable for the Republicans to seek political domination at critical levels of government. And Mr Trump’s endorsement of candidates in deep red (strongly Republican) states and districts will pad his win-loss record. If Republican senatorial candidates lose in numbers come November, however, and the Democrats maintain their Senate majority, Mr Trump will likely cop it from all sides of the Republican Party. But it is a risk the former President appears more than willing to take; the fact that many political pundits expect the Democrats to lose their majority in the House may have been a strong contributory factor in Mr Trump’s decision to go all in.

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He is nothing if not a risk-taker. Mr Trump is obviously gambling on the lacklustre showing of the Biden Administration and its low approval ratings in opinion polls to attract undecided voters on the one hand, while playing the victim card to shore up support among his core support base as the 6 January Capitol riots inquiry closes in on him on the other. The potential for Republicans to sweep Democrats across the board exists, and that’s enough for Mr Trump to attempt what would be one of the greatest comebacks in American politics if candidates backed by him do well in the midterms. Such a scenario is far from being a done deal, of course. Already, Republican strategists are worrying about what will happen to the party if the Democrats can contain their expected losses. But that is none of Mr Trump’s concern; as his past record has shown, his politics is all about himself.