Fuming Karl Rove tears into Trump for helping red state GOP cannibalize itself

A GOP heavyweight tore into President Donald Trump in a new op-ed on Wednesday after he helped the Indiana GOP defeat itself.

On Tuesday, four of Indiana's high-profile GOP lawmakers lost their reelection bids to candidates endorsed by Trump. The endorsement followed months of pressure exerted by Trump on the Indiana state legislature to redraw its congressional election map to help the GOP preserve its majority after the 2026 midterm elections.

Rove argued in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the Indiana lawmakers had "incensed" Trump by resisting his redistricting demands. But that doesn't excuse Trump pushing for F"intraparty payback" using money the GOP could have spent to defeat vulnerable Democrats instead.

"The stunt did reinforce Mr. Trump’s reputation for being willing to get even if he doesn’t get his way," Rove wrote. "Indiana’s Gov. Mike Braun and U.S. Sen. Jim Banks aided the effort to knock off the legislators. Maybe that makes all three of them stronger, maybe it doesn’t. Either way it will leave scars among Indiana Republicans."

"This president likes calling all the shots," he added. "But attempting to dominate so many of his party’s choices carries risks. Mr. Trump hasn’t learned he can get more with honey than vinegar, doesn’t need to make every pick in every contest and can achieve more by focusing on important stuff and letting GOP voters make up their own minds sometimes. If he keeps up what he did in Indiana, Mr. Trump could further damage his party and presidency."