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Bolton expects Trump to blame Canada if Republicans lose

The former national security adviser's Election Day interview forecasts Democratic gains, congressional investigations and prolonged legislative gridlock.

Channel: CTV News ·

CanadaStory of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of CTV News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 84,085 views.

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‘I don’t think he knows what he’s going to do,’ Trump’s former national security adviser says

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:27Bolton questions whether Trump has decided how to proceed with Iran after the midterms.
1:26Bolton predicts Republican losses after Trump encouraged voters to make the election a referendum on his presidency.
2:31Despite polling caveats, Bolton forecasts Democratic House control and a possible Senate victory.
3:38Bolton expects Trump to blame others, potentially including Canada, if Republicans perform poorly.
4:42Bolton anticipates domestic gridlock, congressional investigations and possible impeachment efforts against Trump and Pete Hegseth.
5:39Bolton argues MAGA cannot survive unchanged without Trump and expects the next presidential campaign to begin immediately.

Canada could become a target of Donald Trump's blame if Republicans suffer a midterm defeat, John Bolton says in an Election Day interview with Canada's CTV News.

Asked about accusations of Canadian interference made by U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, Bolton predicts that Trump would point elsewhere rather than accept responsibility for a poor result. The interview presents that as Bolton's assessment of the president's likely response, not evidence of interference.

"I think you can count on Trump blaming everybody but himself," Bolton says. He suggests Canada and turnout among Trump's own supporters could feature in those explanations.

Recorded before the results were known, the conversation forecasts substantial Democratic gains. Bolton expects Democrats to win the House and says they could also take the Senate, while acknowledging that polling has previously favored Democrats too heavily. His argument is that Trump invited voters to treat the election as a judgment on his presidency.

Bolton also describes what divided government could mean afterward: extensive congressional investigations, possible impeachment efforts against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and little progress on domestic legislation. "I think it's very likely, certainly on domestic issues, to be two years of gridlock," he says.

The interview opens with a separate uncertainty: the president's direction on Iran following U.S. strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, as described by the host. Bolton links Trump's earlier attention to domestic gasoline prices with the possibility of a shift after voting. Asked what comes next, he says: "I don't think he knows what he's going to do either."

Bolton closes by arguing that the MAGA movement cannot endure in the same form without Trump, and that the next presidential campaign effectively begins immediately after the midterms.

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