Trump made the remarks in separate telephone interviews with CBS News and Fox News on Tuesday night, November 3, as election results showed Democrats taking control of both chambers of the United States Congress in a major setback for the Republican Party.
The Democratic victories marked a significant shift in the balance of political power in Washington, with the opposition party making substantial gains in states traditionally regarded as Republican strongholds.
Reacting to the outcome, Trump acknowledged the Democrats’ performance and expressed willingness to work with the opposition for the benefit of the country.
“Congratulations to the Democrats. They did a good job. They’ve been looking for this one for 11 years, and they finally got it. But I don’t view it as a hit on me,” he said during his telephone interview with Fox News.
In another conversation with CBS News, the President said his message to the victorious Democrats was one of congratulations and cooperation.
He stated, “My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country.”
Despite his congratulatory remarks, Trump maintained that the Republican losses should not be interpreted as a personal rejection of his presidency.
He argued that his absence from the ballot was largely responsible for the party’s poor performance, insisting that Republican candidates would have secured better results if he had been contesting the election.
“I feel that I wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that. If I was, we would have won,” he told CBS News.
The President also suggested that some Republican candidates failed to attract sufficient support because voters were dissatisfied with them personally, while others lacked his political support and the backing of his loyal electoral base.
“In some cases they didn’t like the candidates, and in some cases those candidates were not my friend and the base knows that better than anybody. And they stayed back,” he said.
Trump further maintained that he had done everything possible to support Republican candidates during the campaign but that voters did not turn out in the numbers expected.
He described the outcome as part of the normal ups and downs of electoral politics, insisting that the results did not diminish his assessment of his administration’s performance.
The President subsequently described his first two years in office as exceptionally successful, claiming that his administration had delivered what he called the greatest two years in the history of the American presidency.
Democrats Take Control of Congress
The 2026 midterm elections produced significant gains for Democrats, who secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending two years of unified Republican control of the federal legislature.
According to election reports, Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats in states including Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, while retaining important battleground seats.
The victory in Kansas was particularly significant, as the state had not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.
In South Carolina, Democrats defeated a Republican candidate backed by Trump in a state the President had comfortably won in the 2024 presidential election.
Texas also witnessed a major political shift, with Democrats winning a Senate seat and defeating three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
In the House of Representatives, Democrats won more than two dozen additional districts, including several constituencies previously carried by Trump by substantial margins in 2024.
The outcome gives Democrats greater control over the legislative agenda and the ability to scrutinise the administration’s activities.
With the new Congress expected to convene in January 2027, Democrats will have the authority to block presidential nominees, influence legislative proceedings and initiate investigations into the administration, its officials and associates.
The results also represent a considerable change in Trump’s political position, particularly after he spent much of the campaign urging Republican supporters to treat the midterm elections as a referendum on his administration.
During the campaign, the President repeatedly asked his supporters to imagine that he was personally on the ballot, using his political influence to mobilise support for Republican candidates across the country.
However, following the defeats, he argued that his personal absence from the ballot prevented the party from achieving the results he had anticipated.
Iran War, Cost of Living Blamed for Republican Losses
The economy and the administration’s handling of the war with Iran emerged as major issues during the election campaign.
Democratic candidates focused heavily on the rising cost of living, inflationary pressures, Trump’s tariff policies and the financial consequences of the military conflict with Iran.
The war, which contributed to increased international oil prices and higher fuel costs, became a major source of public dissatisfaction.
Trump acknowledged that the conflict may have influenced the election outcome, although he maintained that voters understood the importance of his actions against Iran.
“I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I’ve done with Iran,” he told Fox News.
Reports on the election also indicated that voters were increasingly concerned about household expenses, the direction of the economy and the administration’s management of national affairs.
According to exit polls conducted by SSRS for a consortium of American media organisations, including the Associated Press, approximately half of voters viewed the midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke Trump.
The survey also found that about three-quarters of respondents were angry or dissatisfied with the direction of the country, while 70 per cent wanted Congress to exercise stronger checks and balances on the President.
These findings suggested that dissatisfaction with the administration was an important feature of the election, although Trump rejected the interpretation that the results represented a personal verdict on his leadership.
Trump Promises Cooperation but Threatens to Use Veto Power
While congratulating Democrats and expressing willingness to work with the opposition, Trump warned that his administration would not automatically approve legislation sponsored by the new congressional majority.
He pointed out that the President retained the constitutional power to veto bills passed by Congress, suggesting that he would use the authority against proposals he considered unacceptable.
“They can send over, you know, 50 different great bills that they’re all excited about, and I send them back with a nice stamp — ‘veto,’” he said.
He nevertheless expressed confidence that both parties could reach agreements on issues of common interest.
Trump also told CBS News that he expected Democrats to cooperate with him, suggesting that the possibility of presidential vetoes could encourage negotiations between the White House and Congress.
The new political arrangement is expected to introduce a period of divided government in Washington, with Democrats controlling Congress while Republicans retain the presidency.
Historic Gains for Democrats
Beyond the congressional victories, the elections produced several historic political milestones.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governorship, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a US state.
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa secured victory in the gubernatorial race, making her the state’s first Latina governor.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed also won the Michigan Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.
In Minnesota, Democrat Peggy Flanagan’s victory made her the first Native American woman elected to the Senate.
The results reflected significant changes in voting patterns across several regions, including communities that had supported Trump and the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election.
As Democrats prepare to assume control of Congress, attention is shifting towards how the new majority will exercise its legislative and oversight powers during the final two years of Trump’s second presidency.
For Trump, the immediate challenge will be managing a legislature controlled by his political opponents while pursuing the remaining priorities of his administration.
Although he has congratulated the Democrats and promised to cooperate where possible, his rejection of the suggestion that the election represents a setback for his leadership signals that he does not intend to accept personal responsibility for the Republican defeats.
Sources: Reuters’ election results and analysis; Associated Press’ coverage of the Democratic victories and voter exit polls; CBS News’ interview with Trump; and AFP’s report on his
