BBC News examines the collapse of Donald Trump's coalition in the 2026 midterms, in which Republicans lost the House and Senate plus governorships in red states like Texas and Kansas, prompting the ouster of John Cornyn and Susan Collins and Trump's appointment of Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff three days after the vote. The article reports Republicans soul-searching over whether to double down on Trumpism or chart a new path: Ron DeSantis calls the loss "close to an extinction-level event," JD Vance blames the Iran war while strategists say the 2028 nomination race is wide open, and Steve Bannon predicts a "civil war" and urges Trump to double down on mass deportations.