Sean Hannity Says Donald Trump 'Wears a Lot of People Out'

Sean Hannity told listeners that Donald Trump's personality was one reason Republicans lost so badly in Tuesday's midterms. It is an unusual diagnosis from the president's most loyal ally in conservative media.

On The Sean Hannity Show, the Fox News host said Trump's policies had not paid off in time for voters to feel them, much as Ronald Reagan's had not in 1982. Then he added a second factor.

"Couple that with the dominant nature of Trump's personality being on the world stage for 11 years, he wears a lot of people out. He's tough. And so it's unfortunate. I mean, we're gonna be paying a price for this election," Hannity said.

He was explaining the loss, not disowning the president. In the same segment he defended Trump's record at length.

Sean Hannity Defends Donald Trump's Iran Policy

Hannity said the problem was how the Iran war was handled, not the decision to fight it. "I stand firmly by the president and his decision. It was sound," he said on air. He blamed the mixed signals instead, with the administration swinging between threats of obliteration and talk of a peace deal.

He said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, had warned on his show 90 days earlier that the administration needed to explain why the war was taking longer than promised.

Gingrich, who was on the show to promote his new book on Trumpism, went further. He said the president "didn't make the argument, and he didn't win the argument," and pointed to Trump's recent comments about what he might or might not do next. "Well, you can't lead a great country by random confusion," Gingrich said.

How the 2026 Loss Compares With Past Midterms

Hannity asked Gingrich why presidents such as Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama recovered politically within two years of setbacks. Trump's own first midterm, in 2018, also cost his party the House.

Initial election results compiled by the Office of the House Historian show the president's party lost 26 House seats in 1982, 54 in 1994, 64 in 2010 and 42 in 2018.

This year's count is not final. CBS News reported that Democrats had flipped 43 districts and Republicans two, with dozens of races still uncalled. That is a net Republican loss of 41 so far, and CBS projects Democrats are on pace for about 256 seats.

Republicans also lost every statewide race in Texas, a result Ted Cruz summed up as "Texas is blue."

Gas, Diesel and Heating Oil Prices Weighed on Voters

Hannity argued that the economy is improving, pointing to GDP, manufacturing and investment, but that "most Americans, they're not feeling it yet. And they're judging a lot of it based on the price of filling up their gas tank. And they're not wrong to do so."

The numbers support the second half of that. In the week before the election, regular gasoline averaged $4.15 a gallon, up $1.13 from a year earlier, and on-highway diesel averaged $6.29, up $2.54, according to the Energy Information Administration. The national average is $4.15 a gallon on PolitiKool's gas price tracker.

Residential heating oil cost $6.14 a gallon, $2.51 more than a year ago, EIA data show. "It's heating oil which defeated Susan Collins," Gingrich said.

Paychecks have not kept up. Real average hourly earnings fell 0.7 percent from September 2025 to September 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Voters also think less of the president's record than Hannity does. Trump's approval stands at 38.2 percent, with 58.7 percent disapproving, in PolitiKool's polling average. On the economy alone, just 29.7 percent approve, according to PolitiKool's polling average.

What Comes Next for Republicans

Hannity said he still expects Democrats to overreach. He played clips of Senator Bernie Sanders calling for a 5 percent wealth tax on billionaires and Representative Jamie Raskin promising subpoenas for law firms. "My prediction stands. The overreach is gonna be massive," he said, adding that "buyer's remorse will kick in way sooner than later."

Gingrich said the defeat had opened up the 2028 Republican race. Had the night gone better, he said, Vice President JD Vance would have been the clear favorite for the nomination. Vance leads the field at 38.9 percent in PolitiKool's polling average.

Hannity did not walk away from the agenda. Whether voters agree with that by 2028 is a question the 11 years he described will not settle.