White House Insider Predicts ‘Self-Destructive’ Trump’s Downfall
Michael Wolff says Trump’s instincts will drag Republicans down in 2026—and beyond.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump and his agenda—both political and personal—will sabotage Republicans in the midterms, author Michael Wolff predicted on The Daily Beast Podcast.
“Fundamentally, Donald Trump is self-destructive,” said Wolff, who has penned a blistering series of books on Trump and his administrations. He argued the president’s instincts won’t do the GOP any favors come November 2026.
“All of the kinds of things he’s doing now will result in him losing—certainly losing the House of Representatives,” Wolff told host Joanna Coles. He said he expects GOP losses to be “impressive.”
Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to retake the House, where Republicans hold the narrowest majority since the 1930s. Their odds are strong in any circumstances—the president’s party usually loses ground in midterm elections. In the 2018 midterms, during Trump’s first term in the White House, Democrats picked up 40 seats to retake the House.
The bad news for Republicans doesn’t end there. Wolff—who said he was invited to dinner by Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2021 despite having published unflattering books on the first Trump administration—said a Trump “proxy” will be the GOP nominee in 2028, only to be brought down by Trump himself.
“That person will lose because (Trump) will undermine them because he doesn’t want them to win,” Wolff said, arguing that he’d do whatever it takes to maintain his grip on the Republican Party.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
At the same time, it’s this boundless self-belief, at any cost, that makes Trump “more compelling than any other politician in the United States,” Wolff said. “Because you can’t take your eyes off of him.”
Those who have been watching Trump closely in recent months have noticed a significantly slimmer figure. “Is he on a weight loss drug?” Coles asked.
Wolff, who in February released All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America, said “I think he’s on Ozempic—that’s what the people on the Mar-a-Lago terrace say.”
New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.