# Trump's Blueprint Back to Relevancy

> Elections in Israel and Brazil show how formidable an old man can be. Trump has two years left to learn the lesson.
- Title: Trump's Blueprint Back to Relevancy · Politico | Shortify
- Summary: Elections in Israel and Brazil show how formidable an old man can be. Trump has two years left to learn the lesson. Trump's unfocused midterm campaign…
- Keywords: donald trump, 2026 midterm elections, luiz inácio lula da silva, benjamin netanyahu, brazil election, israel election, presidential campaigns, political strategy, politics, world, Trump's, Blueprint
- Source: Politico — https://politico.com/news/magazine/2026/10/28/trump-lessons-lula-netanyahu-column-01138909
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: donald trump, 2026 midterm elections, luiz inácio lula da silva, benjamin netanyahu, brazil election, israel election, presidential campaigns, political strategy, politics, world
## Washington underestimated old men
After Joe Biden declared he finally beat Medicare on the debate stage, Washington assumed defeating an unpopular eighty-year-old president was easy. Recent elections proved otherwise.
## Lula wins fourth term in Brazil
On Sunday, Brazilian voters returned left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a fourth term, defying expectations that voters were ready to discard the fiery trade unionist.
## Netanyahu holds on in Israel
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving premier in Israel's history, lost his parliamentary majority but may have thwarted opponents from electing a viable governing coalition.
## Two old men, one lesson
Lula, eighty-one, and Netanyahu, seventy-seven, have almost nothing in common except age and political resilience. Both have towered over their countries for more than a generation.
## Trump's record since 2025
Since returning to office in twenty twenty-five, Trump has failed to deliver policy victories voters can feel in their own lives while shedding parts of his populist base.
## Trump's signature acts backfired
Trump ran in twenty twenty-four pledging to whip inflation and rail against needless foreign wars. His signature acts this term have made health care, consumer goods and energy more expensive.
## Trump's muddled midterm message
Trump's closing argument is that Democrats are crazy. But his campaign monologues lack a through line, boasting about the economy, trashing candidates and musing about renaming oceans.
## Lula's focused coalition strategy
In Brazil, Lula tapped into regional and class-based divisions that defined his electoral career while offering new economic promises. He hiked welfare, promised free transit and endorsed a shorter workweek.
## Netanyahu's polarizing campaign
Netanyahu delivered an apocalyptic message aimed at polarizing the electorate to his advantage. He posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear strike on Tel Aviv and branded challengers as soft on Iran.
## Trump's scattered tactical approach
Trump floated giving away five thousand dollar checks to Americans if Republicans keep control of Congress, only to see lawmakers from his own party pan the idea as a budget buster.
## Trump's Iran war problem
Trump has not made a concerted effort to heal the breach within the MAGA base over the war in Iran.He has toggled between warnings about nuclear attacks and assurances the war will end after November.
## Trump still has time to recover
Even a broad defeat for Republicans next week would leave Trump with half a term to work with. Two more years to recover his footing, return to political basics and fight for relevance.

> Beware the old man in a hurry.
## Key takeaway

Trump's unfocused midterm campaign contrasts sharply with how Lula and Netanyahu mobilized their bases, leaving him scrambling to defend red states he should hold.