US President Donald Trump has said he accepts the outcome of the US midterm elections, after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate. In his first public reaction to the results, however, the president placed responsibility for the Republican defeat on others rather than on himself, according to RTE.ie.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump argued that his party would have triumphed decisively had his own name appeared on the ballot. He said he had not been a candidate and that a landslide would have followed if he had been, RTE.ie reports.
The comments came after a campaign in which the 80-year-old president repeatedly urged Republican voters to treat the contest as a referendum on him, telling audiences to "pretend I'm on the ballot." According to RTE.ie, that strategy may itself have contributed to the scale of the defeat.
Why it matters
The result leaves Mr Trump a lame duck for the final two years of his second term, with the opposition controlling both chambers of Congress for the first time in his current tenure. It also sets up a period of likely confrontation over legislation, vetoes and investigations, and raises questions about how a president known for contesting unfavorable outcomes will govern alongside a Democratic majority.
During the campaign, Mr Trump had declined to say whether he would again refuse to accept an election result, as he did after his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Asked about that prospect, he struck a more conciliatory note in an interview with the New York Times, saying his administration would work with the Democrats and expected to find common ground, RTE.ie reports.
Conciliation on one network, confrontation on another
The softer tone did not last. Speaking to Fox News, Mr Trump predicted that Democrats would send him legislation he regards as extreme and said he would reject it. He suggested that after a series of vetoes, Democrats would return to negotiate, and that the two sides would then work together, according to RTE.ie.
He later posted an image of his signature red campaign cap carrying a single word: "VETO."
The president also offered his own explanation for the Republican losses, telling Fox News that the war in Iran had weighed on his party's candidates, while arguing that voters nonetheless endorsed his handling of the conflict. "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 said, as quoted by RTE.ie.
A bunker mood in the East Room
RTE.ie reports that a defensive atmosphere settled over the White House as the president and senior cabinet members followed the results at a reception in the East Room. Some staff ate takeaway food from the US chain The Cheesecake Factory — a pointed reference to a remark by former president Barack Obama, who had compared Mr Trump's White House renovations to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein.
A White House official questioned the caliber of the party's House and Senate candidates, many of whom Mr Trump had endorsed and campaigned for around the country. "Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves," the official said, according to RTE.ie.
The president indicated he would take on the role of a political analyst and explain the reasons for the defeats. He first singled out Greg Abbott, the Texas governor and longtime ally who was unseated by Democrat Gina Hinojosa, saying Mr Abbott would not have lost had he not become a "RINO" — a Republican In Name Only.
Before any results had been declared, Mr Trump had already posted a series of angry messages attacking Fox News's coverage, claiming in one post published as polls closed that the network's ratings had fallen sharply because it was against him, RTE.ie reports.
The White House also hinted at consequences for the president's political opponents. "Regardless of how today plays out, President Trump's resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger. Buckle up," an official said, according to RTE.ie.
Speculation is now focused on whether the president will escalate military action against Tehran, deepening a conflict that the results suggest voters opposed. The same White House official predicted that Democratic voters would regret their choice once fuel prices fall as the Iran conflict is resolved.
What to watch next is how Mr Trump uses the veto and whether his promised cooperation with Democratic leaders survives the first pieces of legislation to reach his desk.
