Trump congratulates Democrats on win, acknowledges Iran war contributed to midterms defeat

In a rare show of cordiality, U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated his rival Democratic Party on their 2026 midterms election victory, saying that he "look forward to working with you for the good of our country".

The Democrats have managed to wrestle control of both houses of the U.S. legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate, winning their largest majority in over two decades.

In response, Trump told Fox News that the Democrats "did a good job" and "fought hard".

He added:

"They've been fighting me for a long time... I've been doing it for 12 years with them and I've come up on top all the time.

You know, I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot. If you're on the ballot, it's different than if you're not on the ballot."

Trump: The Democrats did a good job. They fought hard. You know, I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot. https://t.co/D3pgNFakdz

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 4, 2026

When asked if he would accept the results of the race, he said: "Yeah, sure, I'll accept them, why wouldn't I?"

CBS News reported on Nov. 3 that in light of Democratic control of the U.S. legislature, Trump was quoted as saying he is ready to make full use of his veto powers as president.

"Historically, you veto for a couple of months and then they come and say, 'We've got to make a deal,'" he said.

Though losing power on the legislative end, Trump still retains control of executive powers, especially regarding foreign policy.

Iran a factor

Trump also acknowledged to Fox News that the war in Iran played a part in the result.

Despite having the "best economy", he said, voters did not feel that way because of gas prices "caused by Iran".

Nevertheless, he defended his actions in Iran, adding, "Historically, [what I've done with Iran] is going to be much more important than this evening."

Who's to blame?

Trump also wrote on his Truth Social platform that if he was on the ballot, the Republican Party would have won in a "landslide".

He pointed fingers at some Republican candidates, in particular accusing Texan governor George Abbott of being a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

"He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!" he wrote.

However, he told NYT that he had no regrets about fielding certain Republican candidates, such as Ken Paxton who lost the race in Texas.

In addition, he criticised Fox News for "spending too much time" giving the Democratic Party coverage, and accused them of donating to his political opponents.

Historic

The election results were a historic win for the Democrats, who saw several firsts in Republican-controlled states in a huge rebuke of the Trump administration.

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim senator in history, while Texan James Talarico became the first Democrat to flip the red state since 1994.

The Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats in ruby-red states and battlegrounds alike.

In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, some that voted for Trump by double digits in 2024.