Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal editorial board has flamed President Donald Trump’s midterm strategy, accusing him of pursuing a revenge agenda, and risking the Republican party’s House and Senate majorities.
“Mr. Trump has dominated GOP fund-raising since his re-election. He’d better be ready to spend it all if he doesn’t want to spend his final two years as a really lame duck,” the conservative paper’s Monday editorial said.
The piece was in response to the ousting of Senator Bill Cassidy in the Louisiana Republican primary on Saturday, another triumph for Trump, 79, in his revenge campaign against Republicans in Congress who stand up to him.
“Fealty counts for more than principle in the Trump universe,” the editorial observed, before pointing out that all of Trump’s petty primary play is putting the Republican Senate majority in real jeopardy.
“Mr. Trump is desperate to hold off the day when he is seen is a lame duck, but what matters more than his sway over the GOP is his overall approval rating,” the paper opined.
Trump’s approval ratings continue to hit new lows as the Iran war drags on, and Americans struggle with the cost of living. But among Republican faithful who vote in primaries, his endorsement is still valuable.
In the past few weeks, candidates backed by the president to unseat Republicans who have fallen out of his favor have prevailed in primaries in Indiana and Louisiana, and Kentucky House member Thomas Massie is facing a Trump-backed challenge Tuesday.
For his part, Trump appears emboldened by his wins. On Saturday night, enraged that MAGA Rep. Lauren Boebert had endorsed Massie, he called for someone to run against her in the Colorado primary.
The Journal warns against Trump continuing his vendettas.
“If Republicans lose the House, the President’s legislative agenda is effectively over. If they lose the Senate, his ability to nominate conservative judges will be done. He’ll spend two years defending himself against nonstop Democratic investigations into his family businesses, and so much more.”
Although Trump used to describe Murdoch as his “very good friend,” the relationship between the two has soured in recent years. After a report in the Journal about a birthday card from Trump to child sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein, the president abandoned all pretense of friendship and sued the paper for $10 billion.
“President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal,” a statement posted to his Truth Social account reads.
“It has truly turned out to be a “Disgusting and Filthy Rag” and, writing defamatory lies like this, shows their [sic] desperation to remain relevant."
The president’s lawsuit against the paper was thrown out by a judge in April.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
