WHITE HOUSE BRACES FOR STAFF SHAKE-UP, INVESTIGATIONS
Inside the White House, senior aides were bracing for staff departures, possible Cabinet changes and Democratic investigations, according to a senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“It absolutely sucks to be here right now,” the official said. “Morale is as low as it can get.”
The official said internal polling had warned six weeks before the election that Republicans were headed for losses in both chambers, but Trump refused to change course on Iran despite warnings about the political consequences.
“Ultimately, he just didn’t care,” the official said. “He refused to listen to anyone.”
Trump acknowledged late on Tuesday that the eight-month-old Iran war had hurt Republican candidates but defended his decision to launch the conflict.
Republican concerns extended beyond the war. In focus groups conducted for competitive Senate races in places like Michigan and Iowa, national Republican political advisers grew increasingly concerned this summer as more Republican and independent voters voiced opposition to the president’s focus on the White House ballroom and Washington renovations, a Republican political adviser said.
“If Trump spends the next two years talking about this same shit, we will get shellacked again in the next election,” the adviser said.
