Democrats have pledged to use their decisive midterm gains to constrain US President Donald Trump, according to RTE.ie, opening the prospect of two years of legislative standoff in Washington. The party captured the Senate, flipping seats in states long considered Republican territory to secure a majority of at least 54 to 44. It marks the first time Mr Trump has faced a Congress controlled by Democrats in both chambers.
The result was driven by voter frustration over his policies, RTE.ie reports, with the US-Iran war's contribution to rising living costs a central factor. Mr Trump, a Republican who also held the White House from 2017 to 2021, spent his first appearance after the vote showcasing a ballroom under construction at the White House rather than addressing the outcome at length.
Why it matters
The Democratic sweep ends unified Republican control of Washington and hands the opposition tools to block the president's agenda. A Democratic Senate can reject his nominees, including any Supreme Court justice should a seat open up, and the party is expected to launch investigations into his administration, his family and his allies while pressing for concessions on major bills.
The scale of the swing has also raised questions about the durability of the Supreme Court's conservative majority, RTE.ie reports, with attention on the two oldest justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
A wave across Republican strongholds
In Texas, the largest state led by Republicans before the vote, Democrats won a Senate seat for the first time since 1988 and unseated three-term governor Greg Abbott. Kansas sent its first Democratic senator to Washington since the Great Depression, and in South Carolina — which Mr Trump won by nearly 18 points in 2024 — Democrats defeated his hand-picked Senate candidate.
Races in Alaska and Mississippi had not been called as of yesterday morning, leaving open the possibility that the Democratic majority could reach 56 to 44. According to tallies compiled by Reuters and USA Today and cited by RTE.ie, Republicans lost ground in 99% of the roughly 2,100 counties where most votes had been counted.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader from New York who is on course to become the first black speaker of the House, said the incoming majority would concentrate on affordability and accountability. "We don't work for Donald Trump," he said. "We work for the American people. And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has become a national Democratic figure since his election a year ago, urged the party in a social media video to respond to voters squeezed by rising prices who want functioning schools and roads. "It is not enough to simply win power. We must use it," he said. "Now, it's time for us in the Democratic Party to deliver."
Trump defends his record and leans on the veto
Mr Trump had framed the midterms as a verdict on the first half of his second term, repeatedly telling Republican supporters to "pretend I'm on the ballot" — a message Democratic leaders were content to amplify. In his nearly hour-long post-election appearance, he touched on the elections only briefly, telling reporters, "I'll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive, but I have the power of the veto."
He defended his focus on the White House building work. "When I get criticised, like, 'Why are you working on the White House?' I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America, and it's got to be pristine, it's got to be perfect," he said, adding that the project was "relaxing" for him.
The president acknowledged that the war with Iran had contributed to his party's losses but stood by his decision to pursue it. Vice President JD Vance, seen as a possible Trump successor in 2028, placed the blame squarely on that choice. "The reason we lost is the war," Mr Vance wrote in a lengthy social media post. "The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay."
Democrats campaigned on corruption and the cost of living, attributing higher prices to Mr Trump's tariffs on imports and the Iran war while drawing attention to the money the Trump family has made since his return to office. Republicans, with Mr Trump leading the charge, accused Democrats of defending transgender rights and similar social positions, casting them as extreme.
"This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in public remarks assessing the results, according to RTE.ie.
Among other notable outcomes, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat from the party's left wing, won Michigan's open Senate seat, defeating Mike Rogers, who had Mr Trump's endorsement, and became the first Muslim elected to the chamber. The night produced other historic firsts for both parties, including the first Black woman elected to a seat RTE.ie did not specify in the excerpt provided.
Republicans still hold power until the new Congress is seated and face at least one must-pass bill — funding the federal government beyond December — which they could use to advance conservative priorities during the lame-duck session. The defeat also reshaped their House leadership, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying he would not lead his caucus next year.
Mr Trump is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
What to watch: the uncalled Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi, and how quickly House Democrats turn their investigative plans into action once they take their seats in January.
