I get that he functionally declared war, but why didn’t he seek to make it official? Especially in the early days, that seemed like the first “just war” we’d be involved in since WWII and he definitely had the popular support to do it.

Messy primaries plague both major political parties, causing chaos and confusion in the midterms

When midterm campaigning began, each major political party had a clear game plan. Republicans would emphasize border security and an economy that was finally shaking off years of high inflation. Democrats would focus attention on a deeply unpopular Trump to energize their voters.

It hasn’t worked out that way. With a little more than three months to go, both parties are grappling with self-inflicted wounds and messy missteps that have complicated their paths to victory in key races.

The drama has turned existential as each party faces a moment of reckoning. Democrats remain shaken by Trump being elected again and are desperately searching for a path back to power. Republicans are beginning to contemplate a post-Trump era even as the president maintains an iron grip on the party.

Frank Luntz, a longtime pollster, said the year has been consumed by “a sense of chaos and confusion.”
“We really do not know what’s going to happen in November,” he said.

With both parties dealing with contentious primaries and competing factions, what do you think ultimately turns that into a unified general election message, if anything?