{"id":63,"date":"2026-05-21T21:10:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=63"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:10:01","slug":"the-biggest-lesson-from-trumps-retribution-campaign-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=63","title":{"rendered":"The biggest lesson from Trump\u2019s retribution campaign: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Military healthcare contractor issues apology to 4 million beneficiaries<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, Jonathan Allen shares his top takeaway from President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts this month to unseat fellow Republicans. Plus, Natasha Korecki and Ben Kamisar report on the long-awaited unveiling of Democrats\u2019 2024 election postmortem. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

DNC releases 2024 autopsy as chair apologizes for \u2018creating an even bigger distraction\u2019<\/h2>\n

By Natasha Korecki and Ben Kamisar<\/h3>\n

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin<\/strong> released the party\u2019s after facing intense pressure to do so.<\/p>\n

The report details problems that plagued the Democratic Party in the last presidential election, including messaging that \u201ccreated tensions with key constituencies\u201d on the economy, late-arriving efforts to organize voters on the ground, a lack of alignment between the party\u2019s main super PAC and then-Vice President Kamala Harris<\/strong>\u2019 campaign, and more.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the autopsy itself has already caused strains within the party. Martin had been pummeled in public for months after he promised to release the report and then reversed course in December. <\/p>\n

\u201cI could not in good faith put the DNC\u2019s stamp of approval on the report that was produced,\u201d Martin said in a statement today. \u201cAfter last November\u2019s massive Democratic wins, I didn\u2019t want to create a distraction, but by not putting the report out, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. For that, I sincerely apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes: <\/strong>Concerns had stretched to the top levels of the Democratic Party. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/strong> and Martin spoke about a week ago about the autopsy. At the time, according to two sources with knowledge of the call, Shapiro relayed he was unhappy that Martin had not released the report and was not being transparent. Martin was rattled by this call, according to the sources.<\/p>\n

One DNC member said they thought the tipping point for Martin was when Harris called for the report\u2019s release. Martin told people on a call this morning, according to a person with knowledge of the call, that when he saw that candidates were getting asked to respond about the situation, he realized it was a distraction that had now expanded.How the release got delayed: <\/strong>Martin had handpicked Democratic strategist Paul Rivera<\/strong> to take charge of the autopsy. Rivera was not paid to do the autopsy, Martin has said.<\/p>\n

Among the hang-ups that had prevented the earlier release of the report: The DNC had demanded, but never received, a list of people who were interviewed, a source with knowledge of what transpired said. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest lesson from Trump\u2019s<\/strong> retribution campaign<\/h2>\n

Analysis by Jonathan Allen<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy to draw two wrong conclusions from the defeats of Sen. Bill Cassidy<\/strong>, R-La., and Rep. Thomas Massie<\/strong>, R-Ky., after they ran afoul of President Donald Trump<\/strong>: Loyalty to Trump is the only factor that matters in Republican primaries, and his muscle flex is a show of real power heading into the midterms.<\/p>\n

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There can be no doubt that loyalty matters a lot to Trump and MAGA voters. But it\u2019s not an insurance policy. Trump, as Republican operatives have explained for years, wants to endorse winners \u2014 in part because he understands that it makes him look more powerful to do so. <\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/strong> over Sen. John Cornyn<\/strong> in their primary runoff. Cornyn didn\u2019t vote to remove Trump from office after the Jan. 6 riots, as Cassidy did, nor did he act as a thorn in the president\u2019s side on a wide variety of issues, like Massie did. Rather, Trump saw Cornyn on his way to a loss next week, so he got the boot. <\/p>\n

Read more From The Sports Desk: Thunder strike<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday, Trump slammed Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick<\/strong>, R-Pa., who represents a swing district that is key to control of the House in the midterms. It could be argued that Fitzpatrick, who ran unopposed in his primary Tuesday, could use daylight between himself and an unpopular president to appeal to swing voters. But not in the heavy-handed way that Trump did it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe likes voting against Trump,\u201d Trump said of Fitzpatrick. \u201cYou know what happens with that. It doesn\u2019t work out well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the innumerable ways to make Fitzpatrick look more appealing to voters in his district, a thinly veiled threat to help knock him out of office is perhaps the least helpful. That\u2019s because Republicans across the country need to limit the damage from an expected decline in the number of MAGA voters who show up to the polls in November. Trump gave permission to his base to turn their backs on Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n

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Which leads to the sounder conclusion about Trump\u2019s power in the wake of recent primaries. The only adversaries he clearly has the strength to beat right now are fellow Republicans. And he\u2019s bent on showing he can do that \u2014 even if it means dashing the GOP\u2019s midterm hopes.<\/p>\n

Trump has alienated almost everyone outside the MAGA base, including many of the younger voters who helped put him back in the Oval Office, over the course of a year and a half. MAGA voters going to the polls in low-turnout primaries to unseat fellow Republicans proves that they are resilient \u2014 perhaps even more determined in the face of Democrats, independents and a small share of Republicans pushing back on him.<\/p>\n

While they are an important component of the coalition the GOP needs in November, they\u2019re not as valuable as the swing voters who are trending toward Democrats. Most of those voters won\u2019t be impressed by Trump taking out his wrath on anyone who ever disagrees with him \u2014 since most of them disagree with him at times.<\/p>\n

If Trump\u2019s not careful, he could perpetuate a vicious cycle in which he seeks to demonstrate power by ousting Republicans, reducing his actual power in Washington if Democrats pick up seats as a result, making him even more compelled to project strength by targeting more Republicans.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today’s other top stories<\/h2>\n