Donald Trump spent weeks urging Americans to vote in the midterms as though his “own name were on the ballot.”
But after Democrats swept both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, November 3, the president had a rather different explanation for what went wrong.
His remarks quickly drew criticism, including from some voters who said they had supported him multiple times but were now “fed up” with his response.
One person reacted, “Denial won’t change the results. I’m just glad he has accepted the results.”
Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections, losing control of both chambers of Congress
The 2026 US midterm elections, held yesterday, delivered a significant blow to Donald Trump’s Republican Party, with Democrats winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The result marked a major shift in Washington, as Republicans lost the congressional majorities that had allowed Trump’s administration to advance its agenda with fewer obstacles.
In the House, Democrats reportedly secured at least 224 seats, passing the 218 needed for a majority.
The party also flipped several Republican-held Senate seats, including in traditionally conservative states such as Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina.
Some of the most striking victories came in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, and South Carolina, where Annie Andrews beat Darline Graham.
Democrats also secured victories in North Carolina and Ohio, adding to the scale of the Republican setback.
When the new Congress takes office in January 2027, Democrats will control committee leadership and have greater authority to scrutinize the administration, launch investigations, and block legislation they oppose.
Trump, however, will remain president until his term ends in January 2029, although he will have to govern with Democrats controlling both chambers.
Rather than directly taking responsibility for the party’s losses, Trump took to Truth Social with an explanation that quickly became a talking point.
Trump immediately took to Truth Social and offered a major “excuse” to distance himself from the election losses
His full post read, “I wasn’t on the Ballot, and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The statement came after weeks of campaigning in which the president had repeatedly urged supporters to treat the midterms as though he were personally running.
At a rally in Syracuse, New York, on October 9, Trump reportedly told the crowd, “In this election, I’m asking you to do me a favor, just pretend I’m on the ballot.”
He went even further at an October rally in Georgia, telling supporters: “In this election, I’m asking you to – you have to pretend I’m on the ballot.”
That is what made his post-election explanation particularly striking to critics.
One commenter, who said they had voted for Trump three times, wrote, “This is the most egotistical, arrogant bull**it I’ve heard, and I’m a 3-time Trump voter. The right lost because they stopped putting America first.”
Another person echoed the frustration, writing, “We voted exactly as if you were on the ballot!”
Longtime supporters of the 80-year-old president called his latest remarks “egotistical” and pointed out his campaign promises
“If you’re posting about yourself, I would imagine it would be best to take the blame and not brag about yourself,” a third user said.
Another comment read, “I voted for him 3 times as well, and I can NOT wait until he is long gone.”
Meanwhile, some celebrated the Democratic victory, declaring, “America understood the assignment! Bravo America”
“It’s insane. Wherever he went to campaign, they are losing miserably. People hate him.”
Trump later struck a more conciliatory tone in an interview with The New York Times, saying he was “absolutely willing to accept those results.”
“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out,” he added.
Several Democratic leaders celebrated the results as Republicans faced questions about Trump’s leadership
Democratic politicians also used the results to underline the scale of the political shift.
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who won reelection, called the Trump administration a “failed lame duck” during his victory speech.
“If at times these last two years, amidst the ceaseless onslaught of brutality and decency, you doubted if our republic would survive, let tonight’s results give you courage that the first light of dawn is on the horizon,” Ossoff told supporters.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had already criticized the Republican approach to the election before the results came in.
Speaking ahead of Election Day, he accused Republicans of “gaslighting” voters by refusing to acknowledge the economic pressures they were facing.
“I totally voted as Trump urged us to, as if he were on the ballot! And I love the results tonight,” quipped one netizen
