US President Donald Trump said that Democrats did a "good job" while blaming GOP candidates for their losses after a blue wave swept through the country in the 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday night, flipping seats in multiple long-established Republican strongholds such as Texas.
"I was a little bit surprised," Trump reflected to Fox News about the election results. "I thought that I could transfer those people into candidates."
He also congratulated the Democrats, saying that they had been waiting for a majority in the Senate for 11 years, and that they had "worked very hard."
"They've been fighting me for a long time," he said. "I don't like to consider this a defeat; I wasn't on the ballot."
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that if he had been on the ballot, he would have won "in a landslide."
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump admitted that one reason the GOP had lost was the ongoing war with Iran, saying that "Iran was a piece of it."
However, Trump also insisted that he did not regret the war, and that he "did the right thing. I would have done it again."
The Republican candidates, Trump claimed, "could have been better," with some of them being "not acceptable to the voters."
Trump also pledged to veto Democrat policies after they won the Senate, telling Fox News that "They'll send over things that are insane and I'll veto them."
However, he also said that he would try to work with the Democrats, saying "I think we’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll get along very well with them. If we don’t, we’ll be very tough on them, they’ll be very tough on us."
Former president Obama celebrates Democrat midterm victory
Former US president Barack Obama celebrated the widespread victories of the Democrat party, saying that it showcased the American people's desire for "politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face."
Obama also thanked the candidates who ran, as well as election officials and volunteers.
"While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future," he said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also reacted to the US midterm election, saying that "Americans said NO TO WAR," and that Iran "endorses this message."
Ghalibaf also threatened the US, saying that if the government "betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare."
Mustafa Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian activist and leader of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), claimed that the Republicans had lost the election because of their alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Palestine was present in every election, as more than a political issue," Barghouti said. "It was present as a matter of humanity, justice, and the conscience of people around the world including in the USA."
Trump: Netanyahu 'barely pushed back' on end to US aid to Israel
During his interview with Fox, Trump also discussed his recent statement that the United States would end $4 billion in aid to Israel by the end of 2026.
"Well, basically, we provide Israel with four billion dollars a year - including weapons and other things," he said. "That’s more than we give any other country, and people use that against us. And they [the Israelis] don’t need it. They’ve become quite wealthy.
"I’ve discussed this with Bibi Netanyahu. I’ve been talking to him about this for the past four months. I told him, 'You know, Bibi, you can afford to stand on your own two feet now; you don’t need this aid.'"
According to Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "barely even pushed back," and "even suggested it himself."
However, Trump said, Israel would still be able to purchase weapons from the United States.