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Archive photo · 2 June 2025Trump Says He Was Surprised After Democrats Win 2026 Midterm Control of Congress
10 Western Mainstream6 West Asian3 Other3 Other source typesPhoto: Daniel Torok / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms. Trump said he was surprised by the results and will work with Democrats.
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22 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Democrats Seize House And Senate, Promise Probes Into Trump Family And Pentagon →
Trump reacts, vows veto
President Donald Trump said he was "a little bit surprised" after Democrats won control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, and he told Fox News that "I thought we would do better." Trump said he would work with Democrats, telling Politico he would "make sure things go well for our country," while he also emphasized his veto power and posted a red hat image with the word "VETO" displayed across it. Trump blamed Republican candidates and high gas prices from the war in Iran, and he told Politico, "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!"
Trump also attacked Texas Governor Greg Abbott, saying, "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," as Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa was projected to defeat Abbott. Trump said Democrats are "in control, but they're really not in control" because they can send bills and he sends them back with a "nice stamp veto," while he told Fox News he would accept the election results.
Republicans blame Trump
Republican lobbyist Bill Miller told the BBC that the midterms defeat was "It's on him. It's not on anybody else," and he called it "a total, complete rejection of President Trump."
Republican strategist Gregg Peppin said, "It was just one mistake after another," and he added that "Clearly, in state after state, people did not like the president's policies."
A White House ally told the BBC that public disapproval with Trump over the Iran war, tariffs and the administration's immigration crackdown created a "perfect storm" in November.
BBC reporting said Trump will instead face a motivated Democratic majority in Congress that is eager to investigate the administration, block his judicial nominees and stymie the rest of his agenda.
CBS News projections said Democrats would take control of the Senate in January, and Chuck Schumer vowed to entangle Trump in "legislative razor wire" if he defies the will of the American people or the law.
Congressional resistance ahead
CBS News said Democrats secured enough wins to control at least 54 seats in the upper chamber, and it described Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi as unresolved as of Wednesday morning. Chuck Schumer told reporters that "Americans are calling for accountability, not accommodation," and he said, "Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court, and entangle him in legislative razor wire." PBS reported that Democrats won control of Congress in Tuesday's 2026 midterm elections, delivering "a shockingly decisive rebuke" of Republican governance and ushering in a new era of congressional resistance to Trump.
PBS said Democrats won at least seven Senate seats in ruby-red states and battlegrounds including Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, and it said Democrats flipped House districts that voted for Trump by as much as 18 points in 2024. PBS also reported that Trump tried to shift the blame away from himself during a Fox News interview that aired early Wednesday, saying Democrats "did a good job" in their campaigns and blaming GOP candidates for losses.