Trump suffers black eye as ‘kingmaker’ after many of his endorsed candidates lost while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shined

Tuesday was a bad night for Republicans and a reality check for the GOP as to whether or not former President Donald Trump retains his status as a “kingmaker.”

The twice-impeached president was reportedly “fuming” at his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to ABC News, as Republican candidates he had backed started to lose or underperform. To add insult to injury, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ strong performance in Trump’s adopted home state was a wakeup call for some Trump advisers. DeSantis, seen as a potential 2024 presidential rival for Trump, easily won reelection.

Trump had endorsed more than 300 candidates across the country, including celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Herschel Walker in Georgia, hoping the night would end in a red wave he could ride to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Oz conceded to his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, on Wednesday while the heated Georgia Senate race is headed to a final vote on Dec. 6 as neither candidate, including Walker, secured 50 percent of the vote.

On his Truth Social account, Trump said Tuesday was a “GREAT EVENING.” His candidate for Senate in Ohio, J.D. Vance, was projected to have beaten Democrat Tim Ryan, and his Senate candidate in North Carolina, Ted Budd, was also projected to have won his race — with races in Arizona and Nevada yet to be called and control of the House and Senate still to be determined.

But some of Trump’s most high-profile candidates saw losses in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio.

“Republicans wildly underperformed, and heads should roll,” conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted.

Even before the ugly results rolled in for Republicans, Trump sought to claim credit for wins while avoiding shouldering the blame for any losses.

“I think if they win, I should get all the credit,” he said in an interview before the vote. “If they lose, I should not be blamed at all.”

He plugged a “big announcement” about his future political plans next week, which aides say means he plans to launch his 2024 comeback bid.

As votes started rolling in, Trump trashed losing Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc for stepping away a bit from his extremist election denial stance.

Even Fox News, known for embracing the former president, ran a steady stream of stories with damaging headlines: “Trump-endorsed Vance doesn’t mention former president in victory speech.” “Republican Brad Raffensperger, reviled by Trump, wins again in Georgia.” And “Conservatives point finger at Trump after GOP’s underwhelming elections results.”

But as Tuesday night slipped into Wednesday morning, the story of what was not happening for the GOP became the main talking point.

“Republicans will have some soul searching to do here,” said Fox News Channel’s Dana Perino.

Kellyanne Conway, the former Trump aide who was a commentator on Fox, grew impatient at one point with on-set discussions about Republicans not performing up to expectations or hopes.

“It’s enough,” she said. “We’ll take it.”

After summoning reporters and his most loyal supporters to a watch party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Election Night, Trump ended the night without a triumphant speech.

Hours later, Palm Beach County issued an evacuation order for an area that included Trump’s club with Tropical Storm Nicole approaching.

With News Wire Services