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This is Fresh Air, I'm Terry Gross. The midterm elections in November will determine

which party controls Congress, so there's a lot at stake. The primaries will also test how much

power Donald Trump holds within the Republican Party, and whether the party's new litmus test

is endorsing the lie that Trump won in 2020. My guest Shane Goldmacher, a national political

correspondent for The New York Times, has been writing about Trump's attempts to be a kingmaker

in the party. He's been endorsing a lot of candidates to show the power he has to reward or punish,

but some of his endorsements have been backfiring. Goldmacher has also been investigating new secret

coalitions of wealthy Republicans trying to wield power outside traditional party machinery.

Trump is implying he wants to run again in 2024, but he hasn't yet announced. Goldmacher has

been reporting on accusations that Trump is now violating campaign finance law by fundraising

for his political endeavors without having announced his run. He's also continuing to find new,

previously unheard of ways of cashing in on his status as a former president.

Shane Goldmacher, welcome to Fresh Air.

Thanks for having me on. You read that Trump wants to be a Republican

kingmaker. He's endorsed more than 120 candidates to elevate his allies, punish those who've crossed him,

and turn the lie that the election was stolen into a litmus test for the party.

How's the Stratcrackers so far? If you look at the range of his candidates, how is he doing?

We're about to find out as the short answer. He's endorsed all these candidates. There's only

been one primary so far in 2022 and it was in Texas and all the candidates that he supported one.

But Texas wasn't really a test in that state and in some others, he endorsed people who were

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