Donald Trump congratulated Democrats after the midterms, but qualified the gesture by claiming Republicans would have won if he had been on the ballot. Democrats took control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday night.
The president’s response to losing control of Congress
Speaking with CBS News, the president gave Democrats a warm greeting. “Congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” he said. Trump then explained the losses in his own terms, saying he “wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that.” He added, “If I was, we would have won.”
He made the same case on Truth Social, writing that the result would have come “IN A LANDSLIDE!” with him on the ticket. In another post, he promised to become a “Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!” On Fox News, Trump said voters “didn’t like the candidates.” He also credited the other side, saying the “Democrats did a good job.” He said they “fought hard” and had been doing so “for a long time.” Even so, he said he felt for the Republicans who lost, because losing is a “tough thing.” Democrats flipped key Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, among other races.
Furthermore, Trump said to The New York Times he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results. He said Democrats had already approached him about working together, though he would not name them. He named the debt ceiling as one possible area of cooperation. He also emphasized the limits of Democratic power under his presidency. “I have total veto power, so they have to come to us,” he said.
The president also said he did not regret the war with Iran and “would do that again.” He acknowledged that voters were unhappy with oil prices but called the decision “very wise.” Trump also defended his record in office, describing the first two years of his second term as “the most successful two-year period in the history of any president.”
