Trump blames aides for midterm struggles as White House tensions mount

Donald Trump is blaming aides and political strategists for the Republican Party's faltering midterm election strategy, triggering a blame game inside the White House, Reuters reported. The infighting appears to reflect growing anxiety over the party's worsening electoral outlook with roughly two weeks until the midterms.

Citing three sources familiar with White House deliberations, Reuters reported Saturday (local time) that Trump has voiced frustration over campaign spending decisions, redistricting efforts and candidate selection, setting off internal recriminations.

The tensions have centered on James Blair, the former White House deputy chief of staff who now leads the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Trump has taken issue with Blair's management of campaign funds, while some White House officials and allies have questioned Wiles' oversight of the party's electoral operation.

Trump has been pressing aides to explain why Republican poll numbers in key battleground states have not improved despite MAGA Inc. spending $200 million on campaign activities according to public records.

He has also expressed displeasure over Blair's visit earlier this month to Republika Srpska, the Serb-led autonomous entity within Bosnia, where Blair provided consulting services to the local government, sources said.

Two sources said Trump has also recently pushed aides to explain why his redistricting efforts have not translated into a clear increase in safe Republican seats.

The pressure from Trump has spilled over into finger-pointing among aides. One source said the situation amounted to "friendly fire," describing how Wiles shifted blame onto Blair, who in turn pointed to the White House's congressional affairs team. Blair, who had been expected to return to the White House after the midterms, is now seen as unlikely to do so.

Trump pushed back on reports that Wiles herself could be replaced, saying, "Susie will be here for a long time to come."

White House spokesperson Davis Engle denied the accounts attributed to the sources cited in the report, dismissing them as "armchair experts spreading baseless speculation."