Trump often seemed disinterested in the midterms over the summer, the period of time when Republicans in Congress shifted their focus to the election.
Trump was consumed by the war with Iran abroad and his construction overhaul of Washington at home. The projects included the under-construction ballroom and a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, renovations to a local golf course, a proposed memorial arch near Arlington Cemetery and renovations to the Kennedy Center.
Events like a UFC match at the White House on Trump’s 80th birthday in June created the impression that the president was more interested in feting himself than winning the midterms, several sources said. Trump also repeatedly downplayed the rising costs of gas and often cast the affordability issue as a Democratic hoax.
Trump turned his full attention to the election in September at the Republican Party’s midterm convention. The event was a gamble: Republicans hadn’t held a midterm convention in decades, and it was an open question whether voters would tune in.
Trump dominated the convention in Dallas, frustrating Republicans who told the BBC they wanted to highlight the party’s midterm candidates.
In his rambling keynote speech, Trump pledged to give $5,000 (£3,700) to Americans if Republicans retained control of Congress and raised eyebrows with an endorsement of Paxton which included a lengthy criticism of the candidate’s lack of charisma and physical appearance.
“Obviously, that’s never helpful,” Robin Armstrong, Texas’ Republican National Committeeman, said of Trump’s critique of Paxton. “You’re not going to stop what President Trump says. We just have to kind of live with that.”
The convention failed to attract a large television audience, and Democrats were quick to call it a failure. “It backfired for Republicans because nobody paid any attention to it,” said Terri Burke, the Texas Democratic Party’s executive director.
Trump’s penchant for straying off-message continued when he hit the campaign trail in the final weeks before Election Day. He made headlines for praising Ohio Republican Senator John Husted’s physique, and drew criticism for calling Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist” in the Michigan Senate race.
