Donald Trump Reacts to Disastrous Midterms For GOP, Blames Candidates - Newsweek

President Donald Trump distanced himself from Republicans’ midterm losses Tuesday night, writing on Truth Social: “I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”

His remarks came after projections showed Democrats winning control of the House. Democrats also flipped several Republican-held Senate seats.

In North Carolina, NBC News called Roy Cooper the winner around 8:25 p.m. ET, making him the state’s first Democratic senator since 2008. In South Carolina, a state Trump won by 18 points, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Senator Darline Graham. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, making him the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 1988.

The post marked a shift from Trump’s message a day earlier. In an interview Monday night on Fox News’ Hannity, Trump said, “I’m just asking everybody to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” adding, “If our people vote, we win in a landslide.”

Later Tuesday night, Trump blamed Fox News. “Fox News bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse,” he wrote on Truth Social, criticizing the network for featuring former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, whom he called “the Worst Mayor in the History of New York City.”

Shortly after attacking the network, Trump called in to Fox News, where he attributed the Republican losses to the candidates and high gas prices. “They didn’t like the candidates, and some of the candidates that I endorsed fought me, and they didn’t like it,” he said.

Asked about the war with Iran showing up in exit polls, Trump said: “I think it’s the gasoline price.” Gas prices were above $4 a gallon nationally on Election Day and had emerged as a significant issue for voters during the campaign.

Trump also gave Democrats credit for their performance. “I think the Democrats did a good job. I really do,” he said. “They fought hard.” But he resisted viewing the results as a personal defeat, saying he doesn’t “like to consider it a defeat for me” and adding: “If you’re on the ballot, it’s different than if you’re not on the ballot.”

Trump also presented the night as history repeating itself rather than a judgment on him. “It’s just a point in time,” he said. “There was a mood in the air, I guess.” He noted that a sitting president’s party almost always loses ground in a midterm. “No matter how good the president is, you lose,” Trump said. “I don’t know why. Nobody’s explained that.”

Speaking to The New York Times from the White House as results came in, Trump said he had no regrets about endorsing Sen. Darline Graham and Ken Paxton, and that he would accept the results. “I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” he said.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas