Overview
- Michael Wolff said on The Daily Beast podcast that many candidates endorsed by President Trump are 'buffoons' who lack Trump's personal pull and therefore may struggle in the 2026 midterms.
- Wolff argued that some voters hide support for Trump from pollsters but will only vote when he is on the ballot, and he said Trump’s absence this year could reduce turnout for allied nominees.
- The White House responded with a personal attack, calling Wolff 'a professional scumbag and serial liar' and accusing him of suffering from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.'
- Reporting also noted that Trump has urged supporters to 'act as if he were on the ballot,' showing he is trying to offset the turnout risk Wolff described.
- These remarks are commentary and prediction rather than proof of electoral outcomes, and they feed an ongoing debate about how much the president’s presence on a ballot changes turnout ahead of the November 2026 midterms.