Well...is anyone shocked?
Former President Donald Trump had already begun taking credit for Republican Glenn Youngkin's win in Virginia before the Tuesday governor's race was even called, having released a statement that night thanking his base for "coming out in force and voting for Glenn Youngkin. Without you, he would not have been close to winning," reports The Hill.
On Wednesday morning, though, Trump took that statement one step further during an interview on a local Virginia radio station, saying that "Without MAGA," Youngkin "would have lost by 15 points or more."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Instead of giving us credit, they say, 'Oh he's more popular than Trump.' It's unbelievable," Trump added in reference to Youngkin, per The New York Times.
That Youngkin "kept his distance" from the ex-president despite rallying around issues popular with his base appeared lost on the MAGA leader, who endorsed the governor-elect in May, per the Times.
The host of Wednesday's show, John Fredericks — who also served as Trump's Virginia campaign chair during his White House campaigns — agreed with the ex-president's credit-seeking comments, adding that "If there was no Trump in this election, there's no Glenn Youngkin."
-
Political cartoons for December 7Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include the Trump-tanic, AI Santa, and the search for a moderate Republican
-
Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
-
Sudoku hard: December 7, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?
Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
-
‘These accounts clearly are designed as a capitalist alternative’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
-
Boat strike footage rattles some lawmakersSpeed Read ‘Disturbing’ footage of the Sept. 2 attack on an alleged drug-trafficking boat also shows the second strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage
-
Is a Putin-Modi love-in a worry for the West?Today’s Big Question The Indian leader is walking a ‘tightrope’ between Russia and the United States
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
