Donald Trump broke his silence and has said he will accept the midterm election results as Democrats celebrate a victory in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The president said he was "absolutely willing to accept those results" during an election-night interview with The New York Times, offering a conciliatory response as Republicans suffered a series of defeats.
CBS News projected that Democrats had reclaimed both chambers following Tuesday's elections, delivering a major setback to Republicans and setting up a more challenging final two years of Trump's presidency. The full size of the Democratic majorities remained to be determined as counting continued.
© Getty ImagesDonald Trump responds to Republican midterm losses
Despite signaling his willingness to accept the outcome, Trump also argued that Republicans would have performed better had his own name appeared on the ballot.
"I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" he wrote on Truth Social.
The president had campaigned for Republican candidates ahead of the election, which became a major test of his second administration. Voter frustration over living costs and the war in Iran featured prominently in coverage of the results.
© Getty ImagesHis election-night remarks followed a more qualified answer the previous week. Asked on October 27 whether he would accept the outcome, Trump told reporters: "I will — if they're honest elections."
Democrats gain ground in the House and Senate
Among the Democratic Senate winners were James Talarico in Texas, Annie Andrews in South Carolina, Sherrod Brown in Ohio and former governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
In the House, Democratic gains included Republican-held districts in Pennsylvania, Colorado and North Carolina, helping overturn the GOP's narrow majority. The result sets up a more difficult legislative environment for the president's remaining two years in office.
© Getty ImagesDemocratic control also opens the door to greater congressional scrutiny of the administration, including investigations and subpoenas.
Trump had already indicated that he was prepared to resist legislation he opposed. Speaking to CBS News before polls closed, he said: "I have the ultimate power — it's called 'veto.'"
Later, however, he struck a more cooperative tone when discussing the prospect of working with Democrats. "We'll, you know, look forward to working with them," he told The New York Times. "We'll probably work something out."
