Michael Goodwin: How Trump reacts to this shellacking will determine his legacy

To call Tuesday’s results a mere blue wave doesn’t do justice to the force and size of the impact.That was a blue tsunami that delivered a near-total destruction of the Republican power structure.Just don’t call it a surprise.

Any fair reading of the polls in recent weeks clearly revealed the depths of public unhappiness with President Trump and the GOP Congress.Follow for live updates on the 2026 Midterm ElectionsThose polls meant it was widely assumed the House would fall, and it collapsed with a thud early in the evening.GOP control of the Senate was also consigned to the dustbin of history.It turns out that Fate has a sense of humor.

Thinking he would pump up their turnout, Trump told Republican voters to pretend his name was on the ballot.They may or may not have heard him, but Democrats and most independents heard him loud and clear and soundly rejected him.Anyone who is surprised that they turned out in such force hasn’t been paying attention.

One indication of how the vote would go has been flashing red for months.The president’s job approval rating has been stuck at under 40%, with voters across the spectrum unhappy with the impact of the Iran war on energy prices and inflation in general.But the president didn’t heed the warnings, and helped bring upon political disaster by treating polls and public complaints as so much “fake news” and media noise.On that, he was alone.In fact, an AP poll last month found that 65% of adults directly blamed Trump and his policies for high prices, while just 17% liked his handling of cost of living issues.That proved to be an insurmountable mountain, and the heavy anti-GOP turnout indicated a big majority of voters had seen and heard more than enough of him.As such, this was much more than an ordinary vote of no confidence in a party and its leader.At its core, Tuesday was total beatdown of the president, his policies and personality.And it was predictable.It is not uncommon for presidents to suffer loss...