US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was “fully prepared to accept” the results of the midterm congressional elections, while claiming that the Republican Party would have secured a “landslide victory” had he personally been a candidate.
His remarks came after Democrats made significant electoral gains and, according to US media projections, took control of the House of Representatives.
The New York Times quoted Trump as saying he was “fully prepared to accept” the election results, as projections by US television networks showed Democrats advancing towards control of Congress.
The newspaper also quoted the Republican president as saying: “We will work with the Democrats, and we look forward to cooperating with them. Maybe we can reach some kind of solution.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I had been, we would have had a landslide victory.” He concluded the post by saying: “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Trump’s remarks followed projections by CNN and NBC that Democrats would win a majority in the House of Representatives. NBC estimated that the party would secure at least 244 of the chamber’s 435 seats, exceeding the 218 seats required for a majority.
Taking control of the House would give Democrats the ability to lead congressional committees, set legislative priorities, launch investigations into the Trump administration’s policies and influence the passage of legislation and the federal budget during the final two years of his second term.
Trump Attacks Fox News, Accuses Network of Bias
In an earlier post following the election count, Trump attacked US broadcaster Fox News, accusing it of being biased against him and giving extensive coverage to Democrats. He also blamed the network for declining viewership.
Trump claimed that Fox News viewership had fallen by 27% because it devoted too much airtime to Democrats critical of him. He added that viewers who had stopped watching the network understood that the problem lay with Fox News, not with him.
“My numbers are better than ever before,” Trump wrote, arguing that the network’s declining audience reflected its opposition to him rather than any loss of his popularity.
Trump cited what he described as a new CNN poll, claiming that his approval rating among Republicans stood at 99%. He also said he scored 53% in a comparison with previous Republican presidents, against 18% for Ronald Reagan and 8% for Abraham Lincoln. These figures were cited by Trump in his post.
He also criticised Fox Corporation, the network’s parent company, questioning why it had made financial contributions to Democratic figures and organisations, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Representatives Jamie Raskin, Ted Lieu and Pete Aguilar, as well as Democratic Party campaign committees.
Trump predicted that Fox News would continue to lose viewers, saying the network had lost its audience because it had turned against him. He pointed to a similar dispute in the past that, in his words, had nearly led to the network’s collapse.
Democrats Make Gains in the Senate
Meanwhile, Democrats made gains in the Senate elections, most notably capturing two Republican-held seats in North Carolina and South Carolina, although control of the chamber remained undecided.
Democrat Roy Cooper won North Carolina’s Senate seat, defeating Republican Michael Whatley. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews also secured victory, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat representing the state in more than two decades.
Democrats also retained their seat in Georgia after Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election. Chris Pappas secured victory in New Hampshire, keeping both seats in Democratic hands.
Before the election, Republicans controlled the 100-member Senate with 53 seats, compared with 47 held by Democrats and independents aligned with them. Democrats therefore needed a net gain of four seats to secure a majority.
The midterm elections were held on Tuesday to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 senators and the governors of 36 US states.
The vote took place amid voter concerns over the rising cost of living, higher fuel prices, the consequences of the war with Iran and the Trump administration’s economic policies.
The election results represent a political test for the US president two years after his return to the White House. The final balance of power in the House and Senate will determine the relationship between Republicans and Democrats during the second half of Trump’s presidential term.
Source: The New York Times / Agencies
