What is the cost of these mistakes on the eve of the elections? Trump and five strategic mistakes American midterm elections are usually difficult for the president's party, and in many cases lead to fewer seats in Congress. However, the severity of the possible failure depends on the president's performance and the decisions he made during his first two years in the White House. Washington Post columnist and National Review editor Ramesh Ponoro, in a note examining Trump's decisions after returning to the White House, argues that Republicans could have been in better shape heading into the Nov. 3 election; If the president had made some of his political and economic choices in a different way.