White House exasperated with GOP over Virginia election faceplant

The White House has an answer for Republicans accusing President Donald Trump of failing to do more to win this week’s redistricting vote in Virginia: look in the mirror.

Even as several House members bemoaned the GOP loss and blamed the president for starting a redistricting war that the party may ultimately lose, there is little patience inside the Trump administration for GOP complaints, especially with questions about how much the president’s political operation directed toward the race.

“It’s funny about the grumbling, especially from the Virginia Republicans and all them, because my question, a little bit to them, is, how much did they fucking spend?” said a White House official, who, like others in this report, was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “Where were the members of Congress in this? Like, it was their seats that got lost.”

The exasperation emanating from the West Wing underscores a long-simmering frustration that Republicans are too quick to blame every mishap on the president and ignore their own shortcomings. It’s also symptomatic of the broader midterm anxiety and blame game rippling through the GOP, as Republicans look to solidify an election-year message hampered by a lingering war, affordability concerns and the president’s low approval rating.


https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/virginia-redistricting-blame-white-house-gop-00889443