Trump’s 10 days of crisis: Election loss and Epstein fallout.
A series of political, economic, and media events unfolded in the 10 days following the recent US election that have shaken the atmosphere for the Donald Trump administration to unprecedented levels; crises that have not only confused his allies but also challenged the cohesion of his conservative base.
According to Newsweek, the Republicans’ heavy defeat in the election set off a chain of crises that ultimately led to internal divisions, unprecedented criticism from figures in the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, and even the resurgence of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The November 5 election was a disaster for Republicans. The sweeping victories of Democrats from New York to Georgia showed that public dissatisfaction with the economic situation and the consequences of the long government shutdown have worked to the detriment of the ruling party and Trump. In Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats won the governorships by landslides, and in New York, Andrew Cuomo’s defeat of radical leftist Zahran Mamdani signaled a profound shift in the voting landscape.
The results sparked a wave of blame among Republicans. Some blamed the party’s poor messaging for the defeat, while others blamed skepticism about the Trump administration’s economic performance as the main reason for the decline in conservative votes.
Trump immediately tried to distance himself from the results, insisting that “Trump’s name was not on the ballot,” and tried to blame the candidates and the electoral situation. But analysts believed that economic dissatisfaction had become so deep that even trying to blame the previous administration was no longer effective.
According to the report, polls show that voters are most stressed by inflation, housing costs, and declining purchasing power. This led the independents, who were key to the 2024 and 2025 elections, to reject the administration’s direction by a significant majority.
The most worrying part of the results for Trump, however, was the collapse in support in areas where he had previously outperformed. The message from the Latino vote in New Jersey and Virginia was clear: “Economic problems do not recognize color or ethnicity.” Analysts warned that Trump’s charisma no longer worked for immigrant workers because what determines daily life is “the wallet.”
The next blow was Trump’s unprecedented decline in popularity. Consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in several years as independents said the economy was deteriorating. Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance, tried to blame the problems on the “legacy of Joe Biden” but failed to change public opinion.