President Donald Trump insists Republicans would have dominated the 2026 midterms had his name appeared on the ballot, brushing aside a major electoral defeat. His defiant message came as Democrats captured the Senate and moved closer to flipping the House.
Donald Trump’s response to Republican losses in the 2026 midterms
Trump took to Truth Social to argue his absence from the ballot cost the GOP dearly. “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” he wrote. The claim clashes with exit polling that showed his approval at 38%, with 62% of voters holding him responsible for rising prices and 71% favoring stronger congressional checks on his authority.
Democrats flipped several Republican-held Senate seats, including races in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, according to election reporting. Their victories helped secure control of the Senate and put them closer to taking the House, delivering a major rebuke to the president in traditionally Republican territory.
The White House pushed back by pointing to candidate failures rather than Trump’s influence. A White House official described the mood as “defiant,” noting that Trump voters turn out when he personally appears on ballots. The same official argued that “candidate quality matters” and that Trump promoted down-ballot Republicans more effectively than those candidates promoted themselves. The official also predicted voter regret, saying Democrats would face a “serious case of buyer’s remorse” once gas prices fall following resolution of the Iran war (via New York Post). The official also warned that Trump’s determination to oppose the ‘Radical Left’ would only intensify, adding: ‘Buckle up.’
Despite the setbacks, Trump told The New York Times he accepts the results and stands ready to cooperate with Democrats. “We’ll, you know, look forward to working with them,” he said. “We’ll probably work something out.” The midterms’ ongoing outcome leaves Republicans confronting painful questions about ballot strategy and Trump’s drag on competitive races, while the president signals no retreat from his political agenda.
