United States President Donald Trump has rejected suggestions that his leadership and policies contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections, instead blaming the party’s candidates for failing to mobilise voters.
The election results, which saw Democrats win control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, have raised questions about Trump’s political standing and the direction of his administration during the remainder of his term.
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However, Trump dismissed the suggestion that the outcome represented a setback for him during a live phone interview with Fox News.
“But I don’t view it as a hit on me,” he said, insisting that his administration had recorded what he described as the greatest two years in presidential history in terms of economic performance and other achievements.
The president argued that individual Republican candidates performed poorly, rather than his administration’s policies, including its handling of the war in Iran and tariffs that have contributed to rising prices.
He also criticised what he described as favourable media coverage of Democratic candidates, particularly on Fox News, saying the results came as only a “little surprise”.
“I thought they’d do better,” he said of Republican candidates.
Trump later attributed the outcome to a “mood in the air” but maintained that his administration’s policy agenda would continue despite the Democrats’ gains in Congress.
The elections followed weeks of campaigning by the president, who travelled to Republican-leaning states to rally support for party candidates.
He had urged voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” during the campaign.
Despite his involvement, Trump insisted that the candidates failed to generate enough enthusiasm among voters.
“They just didn’t inspire the people to get out and vote,” he told Fox News, adding that Republican candidates would have performed better if he had been on the ballot.
Several defeated candidates, including Darline Graham in South Carolina, Ken Paxton in Texas, Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Mike Collins in Georgia, had received Trump’s endorsement.
Some of his endorsements were reportedly made against the wishes of other Republican leaders.
Trump, however, defended his decision to support Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Texas, saying he had no alternative.
In a post on his Truth Social platform shortly before midnight, the president indicated that he intended to publicly examine the reasons behind the party’s losses.
“I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!” he wrote.
He subsequently criticised Texas Governor Greg Abbott, describing him as a “Republican in name only” and accusing him of returning to an unsuccessful political strategy.
In a separate interview with Politico, Trump said he was not interested in blaming anyone for the election outcome, describing the period as an interesting experience from which he had learned.
The president also expressed willingness to work with Democrats, who will now have greater influence over legislative decisions in Washington.
He said he had already spoken with some Democratic politicians but did not identify them.
He also indicated that he hoped to find areas of agreement with members of the opposition party.
Meanwhile, Trump dismissed suggestions that he regretted launching the war in Iran, an issue some Republicans have identified as a possible factor in the party’s poor electoral performance.
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Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, he maintained that he had made the right decision and would have taken the same action again.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
