Some members of the Republican Party have blamed US President Donald Trump for the midterm election defeat, after which Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress.
The BBC writes about this.
After unexpected Democratic victories in traditionally Republican states, including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, some of Trump’s fellow party members said his focus on his own political legacy and insufficient attention to voters’ concerns weakened the Republicans’ position.
"This is his fault. No one else is to blame here. This is a complete, total rejection of President Trump. This is a catastrophe of the first order. No one expected it to turn out like this," a leading Republican lobbyist in Texas, Bill Miller, told the BBC.
Some Republicans believe the outcome was influenced by the president’s unpopular policies, his low approval rating, and his focus on construction projects in Washington rather than voters’ concerns.
"It was just one mistake after another. Clearly, in one state after another, people didn’t like the president’s policies," said Minnesota-based Republican strategist Gregg Peppin.
At the same time, some of Trump’s fellow Republicans disagree that only the president should bear responsibility for the defeat. They point to weak candidates in key states, including Georgia, Michigan and Texas.
One Texas Republican politician, who asked to remain unnamed, called the campaign of the Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton the worst among candidates from both parties. By contrast, his Democratic opponent James Talarico, the politician said, ran a "really good and smart campaign".
Other Republicans came to Trump’s defence, noting that he has to balance campaigning with presidential duties.
"He is the president. He’s not going to devote his time to campaigning around the clock," said Krish Matraney, head of the Michigan Republican Party’s youth wing. He said Trump’s rallies helped mobilise the party’s supporters.
The midterms were an important test for Trump and the Republicans ahead of the 2028 presidential campaign. Democrats will now be able to control Congress’s legislative work, conduct investigations into the administration’s activities, and block some of its initiatives and appointments.
For most of election night, Trump did not comment on the results. After it became known that both chambers of Congress had shifted to Democratic control, he wrote on the Truth Social network: "I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I had been, we would have won by a huge margin!".
In later interviews with The New York Times and Fox News, the president said he accepted the election results, but also said he was "a little surprised" by them. He also noted that the incumbent president’s party usually performs more weakly in midterm elections.
On the eve of the vote, Trump held dozens of campaign rallies, and a super PAC linked to him, MAGA, spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates. However, voters did not accept his claims of an improving economic situation and success in the war with Iran.
Over the summer, the president paid less attention to the midterms, focusing on the war with Iran and construction projects in Washington. In September, he became more actively involved in the campaign, including taking part in the Republicans’ convention in Dallas. This disappointed some fellow party members who wanted to draw attention to the candidates.
After the defeat, Republicans have already begun discussing the party’s future and the 2028 election. Strategist Gregg Peppin believes the results showed the need for a new political course.
"I sincerely hope that we have turned the page on the Trump era and that we will now have new political players, new issues and new priorities," he said.
- According to preliminary results of the US midterm elections, Democrats won a majority in both chambers of Congress for the first time in a long while. As of 11am Kyiv time, Democrats hold 54 seats in the Senate to the Republicans’ 42, and 225 to 135 in the House of Representatives. Democrats also lead among governors: 25 posts are held by members of the party, compared with 20 Republicans.
- The new balance of power in Congress could significantly limit President Donald Trump’s ability to push through his own legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.