Midterms
‘I wasn't on the ballot’: Trump explains Republican defeat after Democrats seize US Congress
Washington DC/IBNS: US President Donald Trump has claimed that he would have swept the November 3 midterm elections if his name had been on the ballot, seeking to explain the Republican Party's defeat against Democrats two years into his second term.
Speaking to Politico, Trump said: “I wasn't on the ballot, and we didn't get the people out, but I wasn't on the ballot. If I was on the ballot, we would have won. We would have won it all very easily.”
When reminded that he had appealed to voters during the campaign to treat him as though he were contesting the elections, Trump said many voters were unhappy with the Republican candidates.
“But they didn't agree and they didn't like the candidates in most cases. Just one of those things. We got plenty of people elected by the way, too, but not enough,” he said.
At a campaign rally ahead of the elections, Trump had urged voters to consider his presidency while casting their ballots.
“So I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot,” he had told supporters.
Democrats take control of Congress
The Democratic Party has won control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives in the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, delivering a major political setback to Trump and the Republican Party.
The results mark a significant shift in Washington, with Democrats poised to challenge Trump's legislative agenda, scrutinise his administration and investigate its policies during the final two years of his presidency.
Democrats flip key Senate seats
Democrats have secured control of the Senate after flipping at least seven Republican-held seats, including in traditionally Republican states.
Major Democratic victories include:
Texas: James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, ending a 38-year Democratic drought in US Senate elections in the state.
Kansas: Adam Hamilton won the state's Senate race, securing the first Democratic Senate victory there in nearly a century.
Iowa: Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson.
Ohio: Sherrod Brown defeated Republican incumbent Jon Husted.
Maine: Troy Jackson defeated Republican incumbent Susan Collins.
North Carolina: Democrat Roy Cooper won the open Senate seat.
South Carolina: Annie Andrews secured a Democratic victory in a traditionally Republican state.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed also won the Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, according to election projections.
His victory would make him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
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