Donald Trump rejected responsibility for the Republican Party’s midterm election losses, arguing instead that weak candidates were to blame for the party’s poor performance.
The president pointed to his absence from the ballot as the key reason for the defeats, even though he repeatedly urged voters to imagine they were voting for him—including during an appearance on Fox News the night before the election.
“I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won in a landslide,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a second post, he added: “I’m going to become a political pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these candidates won and lost.”
Trump’s comments followed a string of damaging results that saw Democrats projected to capture both the House and the Senate, including races where the president had held rallies in a last-minute effort to support Republican candidates.
A White House official described the atmosphere as “defiant” and backed Trump’s argument that the election was not a referendum on his administration.
“Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves,” the official said.
“Also, anyone who voted Democrat today is going to have a serious case of buyers’ remorse when gas prices come down quickly after the Iran conflict is resolved, while they remain stuck with a list of liberal extremist Democrats.”
“And a final note here: regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger. Buckle up.”
Donald Trump reacts as he takes the stage during a campaign rally at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Montana, US, October 14
The mood at the White House midterm election watch party deteriorated rapidly as Republicans suffered a series of losses.
A White House official told Our News Outlet that staff members became increasingly “defiant” as the night unfolded, insisting the president was more determined than ever to confront the challenges a Democratic-controlled Congress could pose to his administration.
Those challenges are expected to include a possible third impeachment effort, along with aggressive investigations into Trump and members of his family.
“President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger,” the official said. “Buckle up.”
Trump did not speak to reporters on Tuesday as election results were reported.
A second White House official said the party was “still going strong,” although several cabinet officials and staff members departed before the event ended.
Trump aides initially felt encouraged when leading Republican candidates secured narrow victories in Florida, providing an early boost to the party’s hopes.
That optimism faded after Republicans suffered major setbacks in Texas.
Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was seeking a Senate seat, both went down to decisive defeats.
Trump later attacked Abbott on Truth Social, accusing the governor of abandoning conservative principles and becoming a “RINO,” or Republican in name only.
“If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost,” Trump wrote.
“He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!”
Trump takes off his hat after hosting an event at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
White House officials blamed Republican candidates for heavy Republican losses, despite President Trump’s best efforts to bring out his supporters to the polls
Trump had endorsed Republican contenders in several key races, including South Carolina, where Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, lost her bid for his Senate seat.
Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Graham to become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Carolina since 1998.
The defeat came despite Trump making three recent visits to the state to promote her campaign. Andrews also led in traditionally Republican areas, including Greenville County.
In neighboring North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, to win the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
The result marked the first Democratic Senate victory in North Carolina since 2008 and handed another Republican-held seat to the opposition.
Republicans also failed to unseat Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who defeated Trump-backed Congressman Mike Collins and secured a second term.
Ossoff was the only Democratic incumbent senator defending a seat in a state Trump carried in 2024, making his victory a particularly significant setback for Republicans.
Republican candidate Michael Whatley also lost his North Carolina Senate race.
Outside the White House was quiet as officials monitored election returns behind closed doors
The White House was critical of Republican candidates who failed to drive out President Trump’s base
Trump spent much of Tuesday urging voters to back Republican candidates, but his efforts did not produce the turnout the party needed.
Another Trump adviser told Our News Outlet that Republicans had failed to mobilize the same coalition that carried Trump to victory.
“Republicans have had ten years to figure out how to draw those low-propensity Trump voters to the polls. If they can’t get it done, they deserved to lose.”
Over the final 32 days of the campaign, Trump held 30 events across 20 states on behalf of Republican candidates. His MAGA Inc. political action committee spent more than $370 million supporting the party.
One Trump insider described the results as disappointing but said the president had long expressed doubts that Republicans could maintain their majorities in the midterms.
Meanwhile, the White House legal team has been preparing for a wave of investigations that Democrats are expected to launch after gaining power in Congress.
“I fully expect the president to dig in and fight, fight, fight,” the insider said. “He’s been through this before.”
