WASHINGTON DC, November 7, 2026 — President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats on their midterm sweep of both congressional chambers while warning he would use his veto power if the new majorities do not cooperate. The mixed messages came as the president blamed unpopular Republican candidates for the losses and lashed out at Fox News for its election coverage.
Blue Wave Reshapes Capitol Hill
Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, handing Trump a divided government for the final two years of his second term. The scale of the Democratic victories exceeded Republican expectations, according to Colton Snedecor, a former Trump White House deputy director of media affairs and political strategist. “A long night for Republicans,” Snedecor said, noting the party had anticipated some losses based on historical midterm trends but not the magnitude of the sweep.
Snedecor highlighted unexpected Democratic wins in traditionally Republican strongholds, including a Senate victory in Kansas that ended nearly a century of GOP dominance and the defeat of longtime Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. He also pointed to the election of candidates associated with Democratic Socialists of America policies in Texas and Michigan as evidence of a broader shift. “Democrats swung almost every single state that they took on yesterday,” Snedecor said. “There was definitely a referendum on the agenda.”
Trump Offers Cooperation, Brandishes Veto
In a phone interview with CBS News, Trump struck a conciliatory tone. “My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” he said. He added that he knows “a lot of Democrats” and believes “we’ll be able to work things out.”
The president immediately underscored his leverage. “I have total veto power and I’m sure we’ll be able to work things out,” Trump told CBS. “I think they’re gonna want to work with me. Otherwise I’d just veto everything and they’re not gonna want that.” He later shared an image on Truth Social of a ruby-red baseball cap bearing the word “VETO,” signalling his readiness to block legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress.
In a separate interview with The New York Times, Trump said he was “absolutely willing to accept those results” and would “probably work something out.” On a Politico livestream, he said he had spent twenty minutes speaking with Democratic leaders and did not want to spend his final two years “vetoing everything.”
Blaming the Candidates, Not the Ballot
Trump repeatedly argued that Republican losses stemmed from candidate quality rather than his own standing. “I feel that I wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that. If I was, we would have won,” he told CBS News. He claimed some candidates were unpopular with voters while others “were not my friend and the base knows that better than anybody. And they stayed back.”
The president insisted he had “tried hard” and “left it on the field” to support Republican nominees. “I tried to help people get elected, and they were not elected, they couldn’t get elected,” he said. On Truth Social, he announced plans to “become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!”
Executive Orders and the Cabinet
With legislative avenues narrowed, Snedecor said the administration would rely heavily on executive orders to pursue priorities on energy, manufacturing and border security. “The president himself had said that, you know, the president in the midterm cycle typically loses a few seats,” Snedecor noted. “I don’t think that we saw as massive a loss coming down the pipe as we did last night.” He cited Trump’s first-day issuance of over 100 executive orders as a template, though he acknowledged such directives cannot create new spending authority or override federal statutes and remain vulnerable to legal challenge and reversal by future administrations.
Snedecor argued the Cabinet would remain critical to implementing the agenda. “He also still has a wonderful Cabinet full of extremely talented people that will continue to go out and push that Make America Great Again agenda and do their jobs,” he said. But he conceded executive action alone would not suffice. “The second half of that priority is going to be working with Democrats.”
Attacking the Friendly Network
Trump directed significant ire at Fox News on election night. “Why does FoxNews have Bill de Blasio, the Worst Mayor in the History of New York City, on air, ranting and raving like a Lunatic?” he posted on Truth Social. He escalated the attack: “FoxNews bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse.” During a subsequent appearance on the network, Trump criticised his own endorsed candidates, saying he “didn’t get along” with some of them.
CNN reported that inflation, Trump’s tariff policies, the Iran war, concerns about the president’s conduct and perceptions of personal enrichment influenced voters. Fox News identified four key groups — young people, independents, rural voters and Hispanic voters — that shifted away from Republicans in significant numbers, citing dissatisfaction over the Iran war and tariffs.
Sources
- Democrats take control of Congress as Trump faces new challenges to America First agenda
- "Congratulations to the Democrats": Trump reacts as Blue wave sweeps US Congress, says "will be able to work things out"
- Shocked Trump Reduced to Incoherence by MAGA Wipeout
Photo: The White House from Washington, DC (Public domain)
