We'll work with Democrats: Trump says he'll 'absolutely accept' midterm results

This comes as media projections indicate that the Republican Party is poised to lose control of the US Congress. Several Republican candidates backed by Trump suffered defeats in congressional battles.

In Short

• Trump claims Republicans would have won a landslide had he been on ballot
• Democrats close in on House control after major victories across key states
• Several Trump-backed candidates lose Senate, gubernatorial and House races

US President Donald Trump said that he will "absolutely accept" the 2026 American mid-term election results that showed his Republican Party losing control of both the US Congress with Democrats registering stunning victories in traditionally Red strongholds. Trump, however, said that the Republicans would have won by a "landslide" had he been on the ballot (in the mid-term elections, the US does not vote to elect a new President; the elections are held to elect a new House of Representatives and one-third of the US Senate).

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. The remark came as Democrats made sweeping gains in the midterm elections, putting them on the verge of wresting control of Congress from Republicans.

Speaking separately with The New York Times, Trump sounded ready to accept the imminent defeat. "We'll, you know, look forward to working with them," Trump said in a phone interview with the publication. "We'll probably work something out," he also said, adding that he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results of the midterm elections.

The president's remarks came as several Republican candidates backed by him suffered defeats. Democrats flipped Senate seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio, while holding on to competitive seats in Georgia and New Hampshire. In Ohio, former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican incumbent Jon Husted. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, while physician Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham in South Carolina. Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper also won his Senate race against Trump's chosen candidate, Michael Whatley.

You can follow our live blog for minute-by-minute updates on the results, key races and reactions as Democrats close in on control of Congress.

The Democratic victories in Texas and South Carolina were particularly significant. Talarico became the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas in more than 30 years, while Andrews became the first woman elected to the US Senate from South Carolina and the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state in more than two decades.

The party also made gains in the House of Representatives, defeating six Republican candidates in key battleground races. Among those who lost were Republican representatives Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, Ryan Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania. Democrats also won open seats in North Carolina and Kentucky, putting them on course for the three-seat net gain needed to secure a House majority.

The setback for Republicans extended to gubernatorial races. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Trump-backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, becoming the state's first Democratic governor since 2006. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governor's race, becoming the first Black woman to be elected governor of a US state.

The results marked a significant setback for Trump, whose second term was at the centre of the midterm campaign. Republicans had spent heavily on competitive races and Trump had campaigned for candidates across several states, urging supporters to vote as though he were on the ballot. But the party struggled to hold on to seats even in states that had backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Voter dissatisfaction with the economy and the country's direction appeared to play a major role. According to the AP Voter Poll, around three-quarters of voters said the economy was either 'not so good' or 'poor', while about eight in 10 said inflation had caused moderate or severe financial hardship for their households.

Roughly half cited corruption and the cost of living as crucial factors in their congressional vote. Around six in 10 voters also said Trump prioritised his personal interests over those of the country.

The outcome could reshape the final two years of Trump's second term. A Democratic majority in the House would give the party control of key committees and greater powers to investigate the administration. Democrats have also signalled that they would use congressional oversight to scrutinise the president and his officials.

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