Bracing for the midterms, Trump says he will be blamed if Republicans lose

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Even as he makes a case that Republicans should win the midterm congressional elections, President Donald Trump is bracing for the fallout should they lose.

Someone is bound to get blamed, and Trump said at a rally in Tennessee on Saturday that he expects it will be him.

“If we don’t win the midterms, they’re going to blame me,” Trump said. “You know that. And if we do win them, I will get no credit whatsoever. It’s true. I won’t get any.”

“But I’m working my ass off,” he added. “You better get out there and vote.”

Trump is in “grind it out mode” ahead of the midterms, a person familiar with the matter said, and is prepared for the worst-case election outcome.

Midterm elections often punish the sitting president’s party, and Trump’s popularity isn’t helping the GOP’s cause. Only 38% approve of his performance in office, compared with 59% who disapprove, according to an NBC News average of polls.

Trump is looking to defy historical trends by motivating core supporters who might be inclined to sit out the elections, and by offering voters an unusual sweetener if they preserve the Republican majority in the House and…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business