The knives are out in Republican circles after the party’s bruising 2026 election losses, with one prominent conservative commentator laying blame squarely at the feet of Senate Minority Leader John Thune and former President Donald Trump. In a fiery American Thinker op-ed, physician-turned-pundit Ted Noel accuses both men of catastrophic misjudgments that handed Democrats decisive victories.
Thune’s Senate Sabotage
Noel reserves his harshest criticism for Thune, whom he describes as ‘oblivious’ for reportedly planning to seek reelection as Senate Republican leader despite the electoral bloodbath. The piece lambasts Thune for allegedly obstructing key legislation like the SAVE America Act through procedural maneuvers while taking credit for bills the writer says were only passed due to Trump’s pressure.
The most damning charge claims Thune deliberately kept the Senate in pro forma sessions specifically to block Trump from making recess appointments – an accusation that slams the senator as worse than ineffective: actively undermining Republican interests. ‘Calling him a Republican is doing a disservice to a presently dishonorable party,’ Noel writes, suggesting Thune cared more about Senate decorum than substantive border security or election reform legislation.
Trump’s Self-Inflicted Wounds
While the op-ed’s author identifies as a Trump supporter, he delivers surprising criticism of the former president’s role in the defeat. Trump allegedly damaged his own cause through inflammatory rhetoric, vanity projects like putting his name on the Kennedy Center, and especially through poor candidate endorsements. Noel cites several Trump-backed candidates who lost badly, arguing the former president prioritized loyalty over electability.
On policy, Trump is faulted for misreading both domestic opponents and international adversaries. The piece praises his instincts – like striking Iranian nuclear sites – but slams his failure to explain strategic decisions properly to the public or follow through decisively. This pattern reportedly extended to delayed accountability for ‘Deep State’ figures, leaving the base disillusioned.
An Existential Warning
The article escalates into apocalyptic rhetoric about Democratic ambitions, warning of court-packing, new blue states, and even ‘concentration camps’ if unchecked. While acknowledging these claims as extreme, Noel argues such outcomes become plausible if Republicans don’t course-correct from leaders who either won’t fight (Thune) or fight clumsily (Trump).
The underlying message is clear: the conservative movement needs warriors with both backbone and strategic discipline to survive what the author frames as an existential struggle. Whether this postmortem represents sour grapes or accurate diagnosis will likely fuel intramural GOP battles for years.
Source: www.americanthinker.com โ https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/11/john-thune-and-donald-trump-share-some-blame-for-the-election/