Trump Dealt a Major Defeat as Democrats Take Control of Congress

On Tuesday, American voters delivered a big loss to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party in the midterm elections. Democrats won enough seats to take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The wins came amid voter anger over the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran. The results mean the country will now have a divided government, with one party in the White House and the other running Congress.

Democrats made gains in states that had voted Republican for many years. They broke through in places like Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas — states that Trump had won easily just two years before. By early Wednesday morning, Democrats were on track to win 54 Senate seats, while Republicans held 42. In the House, Democrats had secured 224 projected wins compared to Republicans' 134.

Political experts called the results a strong rejection of Trump's leadership. Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, said it was 'a full-blown repudiation of Trump and GOP policies.' Even Fox News, which often supports Trump, offered a gloomy take. Host Sean Hannity said, 'I wish it was two years ago.'

Trump called into Fox News late Tuesday night to comment on the results. He congratulated Democrats but did not admit that his leadership had caused the losses. 'They did a good job,' he said. 'They've been looking for this one for 11 years, and they finally got it.' He blamed Republican candidates for failing to get his supporters excited, even though he had told his base to 'pretend I'm on the ballot.'

The Senate saw some of the biggest surprises of the night. Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, and North Carolina. Republicans had started Election Day with a 53–47 majority in the Senate, so Democrats needed to pick up four seats to take control — and they did much more than that.

In Texas, James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from that state in more than 30 years. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton defeated Senator Roger Marshall, ending a 94-year losing streak for Democrats in that state. Annie Andrews won in South Carolina, and former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper flipped another seat for Democrats.

Democrats also made strong gains in the House of Representatives. In Pennsylvania, several Democrats defeated Republican incumbents, including Bob Brooks, Paige Cognetti, and Janelle Stelson. In Virginia, former Democratic Representative Elaine Luria won back her old seat. These wins, and many others across the country, added up to a large Democratic majority.

With Democrats now in charge of the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the Speaker of the House. If elected by his fellow members, Jeffries would make history as the first Black Speaker of the House. He has already laid out plans for the new Congress, including reversing health care cuts, challenging the Iran war, and investigating the Trump administration.

Not all races were decided on election night. The Senate race in Alaska was still unsettled because of mail-ballot deadlines and a ranked-choice voting system, which could take days to sort out. The final results will decide just how large the Democrats' majority in Congress will be. Those margins will affect how much power Democrats have when the new Congress begins in January.

Trump ended the night by saying he thought Republicans and Democrats could 'get along very well,' but he also warned he would veto any laws he thought were 'insane.' Notably, Trump did not repeat his usual claims that Democrats had cheated — something he has said many times before without any evidence. For now, the country is adjusting to a new political reality heading into the final two years of Trump's presidency.