Donald Trump faced a furious backlash after Republicans suffered a devastating defeat at the polls.
Vice-President JD Vance and the President’s eldest son blamed the administration’s war with Iran for the party’s sweeping losses.
In a series of political shocks, Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress during the midterm elections.
The result amounted to a stinging verdict on Mr Trump, with voters angered by soaring inflation and higher fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East and its wider impact on global markets. Mr Vance delivered a harsh assessment of the Republican Party’s performance as speculation grew about a possible 2028 presidential bid.
Senior Republicans and loyal MAGA supporters also turned on the President, describing the result as a “disaster of the first magnitude” and warning that his agenda could be paralysed during the final two years of his term.
“The reason we lost is the war,” Mr Vance wrote in a lengthy social-media post, arguing that many Americans who backed Mr Trump in 2024 had now abandoned him.
He also criticised those who continued to defend the conflict, which has cost the United States more than £35billion and shows little prospect of ending.
“If you want to argue that it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was a price worth paying, then make that case,” Mr Vance wrote.
President Trump brushed aside the criticism during a rambling address to reporters, barely acknowledging his party’s midterm defeat
He instead signed one of the final steel beams destined for the new ballroom
Vice-President JD Vance addressed the midterm election fallout publicly on Wednesday
“You can argue that it was a cost worth bearing. Whether you agree or disagree, at least that would be an honest position.
“But everyone knows why we lost. Any sincere discussion about where we go next has to begin there.”
Donald Trump Jr also endorsed the Vice-President’s assessment, saying he agreed with “every word” of the post as he shared it online.
The President, however, appeared to shrug off the criticism during a rambling appearance before the cameras, offering little reflection on the Republican midterm collapse.
Instead, he promoted his White House plan for a $400million (£300million) ballroom. The focus drew angry reactions in Washington, where critics accused him of being “tone deaf” and ignoring Americans struggling with the cost of everyday essentials.
Under growing pressure, Mr Trump conceded that Mr Vance’s explanation was “largely true”, saying: “It drove gasoline up a little bit – short term – and probably that’s true.”
He nevertheless defended the decision to strike Tehran, insisting the operation had been “worth it”. “If I had to do it again, I’d have to do it again because long term, that’s the only answer,” he said. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Mr Vance spoke as Republicans tried to recover from a brutal election night. The party was swept aside by what some described as a “blue tsunami”, losing both the Senate and the House after Democrats won in states previously considered safely Republican.
The scale of the Democratic advance stunned political observers. In Kansas, one of the country’s deepest-red states, voters elected a Democratic senator for the first time since the Great Depression.
Democrats also pulled off a remarkable victory in Texas, winning their first Senate seat there in nearly three decades. James Talarico, a rising star in the party, defeated the Trump-backed candidate and is already being discussed as a possible 2028 White House contender.
Further Democratic Senate victories came in Iowa and Ohio, Mr Vance’s home state. Mr Trump had carried both states by more than 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
As speculation mounted over the President’s political future, the White House sought to emphasise his authority by posting an image of Mr Trump sitting in the Oval Office with a clenched fist. The caption read: “PSA [Public service announcement]: Trump is still your president.”
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The defeat sets the stage for two years of gridlock in Washington, with Mr Trump facing a Democratic-controlled Congress as he attempts to advance legislation and implement his policies.
Trump signs the final steel beam due to be used in the White House ballroom’s construction
The President turned his attention to the White House ballroom project, visiting the building site before answering questions about the election losses
“The American people have rejected the depravity, corruption and incompetence of failed lame-duck President Donald J Trump,” Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff said while celebrating his re-election in Georgia.
Mr Trump was not personally on the ballot, although he had urged voters to treat the election as if his name appeared on it. The midterms nevertheless became a nationwide test of his presidency.
“I wasn’t on the ballot – if I had been on the ballot, we would have won easily,” Mr Trump told Politico, blaming the result on “poor candidates”. He later congratulated Democrats for doing a “good job” and said he intended to work with them rather than oppose them.
In Britain, Prime Minister Andy Burnham appeared to underline the political message from the election by saying American voters had demanded action on the cost of living.
Andy Burnham appeared to press home the message that American voters wanted action on household costs.
Democrat James Talarico celebrates his victory in the Texas midterm race
“The world now has an opportunity to unite around the issue affecting all of us: the cost of living,” Mr Burnham said.
“I cannot ease people’s financial pressures until the conflict in the Middle East is resolved, along with the war in Ukraine started by Russia. Those are the issues we must focus on now, and I hope the world takes this opportunity to do so.”
The election aftermath also exposed deepening divisions inside the Republican Party, with several prominent figures openly criticising Mr Trump.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the result “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans” and pointed to controversies including the Epstein Files, which he said the administration had tried to suppress.
“It’s a total, complete rejection of President Trump. It’s on him,” Bill Miller, a leading Republican lobbyist in Texas, told the BBC. “This is a disaster of the first magnitude. Nobody saw it coming.”
“It was one mistake after another,” said Gregg Peppin, a Republican strategist in Minnesota. “Clearly, voters in state after state rejected the President’s policies.”
Speculation intensified in Washington over who might be held responsible for the historic losses, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles among those reportedly facing scrutiny.
Mr Trump rejected reports that he was considering dismissing his defence secretary, saying: “I think he’s doing a good job.”
With Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress, Mr Trump is set to enter a lame-duck period during the final two years of his presidency, leaving his legislative programme vulnerable to obstruction.
Rather than relying on Congress to pass new laws, the President will increasingly have to use executive orders in areas where he retains authority, including tariffs, immigration, foreign policy and military action. He can also use his veto to block Democratic legislation.
Democrats are also expected to launch investigations into alleged corruption involving Mr Trump, his allies and his family. A third impeachment effort has not been ruled out.
Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, who is expected to oversee several inquiries as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a stark warning to the President and his allies: “Lawyer up.”
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would seek the House speakership when Congress votes in January, describing the midterm results as a “stunning rebuke of MAGA extremism”.
