Trump reactions after 2026 midterm election losses, Digi Mart USA News: Donald Trump has long defined himself as a genius, a dealmaker and above all a winner. But against sensible advice he tried to turn the midterms into a referendum on his presidency, and after a devastating loss he now appears to be working through all five stages of grief at once, according to a publisher report.
In the hours after the polls closed and results began to emerge, Trump returned to a topic that increasingly preoccupies him: the falling ratings of Fox News. In a Truth Social post he wrote that Fox News ratings were “way down (27%!)” because the network was spending too much time covering the “Trump Deranged Dumocrats,” adding that the decline was “not because of me, but because they are AGAINST me!”
The Democrats made sweeping gains, taking control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in a bruising night for Trump and the Republicans. The party flipped key Republican Senate seats in places such as Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Maine.
The results were widely regarded as a consequence of the cost of living crisis, which the report links to the US-Israeli war with Iran. Losing both houses will make it hard for Trump to drive his legislative agenda.
Democrat James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Ken Paxton in Texas. Democrat Sherrod Brown won in Ohio, defeating Republican Jon Husted.
Democrat Annie Andrews beat Trump’s hand-picked candidate Darline Graham to take the seat. Democrat Troy Jackson won, taking the state’s Senate seat for the first time in 29 years.
Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win, which would make him the first Muslim senator in US history. Paralympian Josh Turek won a Senate seat in the state for the first time in 18 years.
Democrats needed a net gain of four seats in the 100-member Senate to win a majority, and three seats in the 435-member House. Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff, who won re-election in Georgia, told supporters that “the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption, and incompetence of the failed lame-duck President Donald J Trump.”
Posting on Truth Social, Trump sought to defend the results, writing: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” While offering to work with opponents, he also posted a picture of a red baseball cap emblazoned with the word “Veto,” suggesting he would block legislation they sought to take through Congress.
Trump then turned on Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican and close Trump ally whom he had described hours earlier as an “exceptional Governor and man.” Trump claimed Abbott had lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa because he had “become a RINO [Republican In Name Only] in the last six months.” The report said it was not immediately clear why Trump attacked Abbott, although the two have recently disagreed on data centres.
Before 5am, Trump returned to criticizing Fox News, accusing the network of a poor choice in having Bill de Blasio, “the Worst Mayor in the History of New York City,” on air. “FoxNews bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse,” he wrote.
As the hours passed, Trump seemed unusually sanguine. Speaking to Fox News, he said: “The Democrats did a good job, they fought hard.” He acknowledged that people “didn’t like it” when they had to pay more for fuel because of the war with Iran, and hinted at potential deals with Democrats: “After a couple of months of vetoes, they’ll call and they’ll say, ‘how do we get this stuff done?’ and we’ll work together.”
The report noted that those expecting a new, bipartisan Trump to emerge are likely to be disappointed. Soon after, he returned to posting memes of the “VETO” cap.
Speaking to CBS News, he said: “We would have won easily if I was on the ballot. But I wasn’t,” despite spending weeks telling voters the opposite.
Trump also said he would become a political pundit on why the candidates won and lost. In exit polls, voters cited unhappiness with the economy and cost of living, which they blamed on Trump, followed by concerns about the health of US democracy after corruption scandals, ICE operations and other legally questionable developments.
Democrats are expected to launch investigations into Trump, his family and his cabinet, and to block his policies.
Challenging or overturning the results appears to be off the table on any large scale. Trump told the New York Times he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results.
The report concludes that Trump’s behavior may grow more erratic as he tries to fend off accusations, push his agenda and cement his legacy.
