The Fall Gal, How Donald Trump lost the dissident Right

The 2026 midterm elections were reminiscent of the 2006 midterms in several striking ways. In 2006, President George W. Bush was in his second term, having won the popular vote in 2004, and the Iraq War was a defining issue for voters. Twenty years later, Donald Trump, the first Republican to win the popular vote since Bush, faced a similar political backlash, with the war in Iran and economic concerns—particularly affordability—weighing heavily on voters’ minds. Each election paved the way for Democrats to seize control of both chambers of Congress, and for Nancy Pelosi to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in 2007. In 2027, Hakeem Jeffries will become the first Black Speaker in American history. Following the Republican defeat in 2006, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld became the “Fall Guy”, the administration’s most prominent political casualty. Twenty years later, Susie Wiles met a similar fate, departing as White House chief of staff following the midterm defeat. How did Wiles become the “Fall Gal” and did she deserve to take the fall? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #455.