Trump still defiant after a bruising week

Between the GOP's thrashing at the polls, another one of President Trump 's planned D.C. construction makeovers being halted and an uphill battle to overturn his conviction on 34 felony counts, this week has netted a string of setbacks for the president. Why it matters: Trump's administration is entering its lame-duck era, facing criticism and potential investigations as its power to reshape the federal government dwindles . But Trump is showing little inclination to change course. Driving the news: Trump has remained defiant about the midterms, blaming the Iran war and the GOP's candidates for the losses while spending a lot of time discussing planned D.C. construction projects . On Friday, Trump announced he would replace White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller , a champion of his most hard-line policies. The move could signal that the president plans to push even harder on some of his unpopular policies, Axios' Marc Caputo and Andrew Pantazi write. Zoom in: Voters told Trump loud and clear they're dissatisfied with his policies, particularly on the Iran war, cost of living and economy. Roughly two-thirds of voters said Trump's agenda had fueled inflation, per the AP's Voter Poll. Trump admitted the unpopular war helped Republicans lose their majorities. With Democrats poised to control Congress and potentially restrict war funding, he has few good options for a decisive win. As one of his former advisers told Axios' Barak Ravid: "It's one thing to lose the midterms. But Trump doesn't want to look like a loser twice." What they're saying: "I don't think conciliatory is in [Trump's] vocabulary or ethos," Republican strategist Barrett Marson told Axios, calling Miller's appointment evidence that Trump won't "go away quietly." "He's taken the architect of many of the worst policies and elevating him. I'm not really sure how that is sort of acknowledging voters' discontent," Marson said. Marson said Trump's inability to run for president again could