Trump Advisers Joked About Seeking Asylum in Israel Before Midterm Defeat

More than two dozen of Trump’s top strategists joined the private video call, The New York Times reported. Four people on the call described it to the paper.

Trump adviser James Blair sarcastically referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “At least Bibi won. He’ll protect us.” Trump’s chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, replied: “Maybe we could get asylum in Israel.”

Gallows Humor Before the Vote

The Times said the roughly 30-minute call ran on gallows humor. Participants joked about funeral arrangements, prison food, presidential pardons and briefly about fleeing the country.

Blair drew laughter by saying he was getting his affairs in order and urging everyone else to do the same. He left the White House to oversee Trump’s midterm strategy.

Two Scenarios, One Wipeout

Fabrizio opened by asking whether colleagues wanted “the white pill first, or the black pill first.” Republican data consultant Tim Saler then laid out an optimistic scenario and a wipeout.

Israel had voted the day before the call. The Times noted that Netanyahu’s bloc fell short of a majority, and his party later claimed the election was stolen.

Defeat and Blame

Republicans went on to suffer sweeping losses on Nov. 3. Trump has since called it “largely true” that the Iran war cost his party.

An adviser separately told CNN that Trump feels misled over the war and that “somebody should pay.”