In his first remarks since Republicans were clobbered in Tuesday’s midterm elections, President Trump spent significant time touting his new White House ballroom project and offered little reflection on his role in the GOP’s generational losses, other than briefly defending his unpopular war in Iran.
Voter outrage over the rising cost of living, caused in part by the war in Iran and Trump’s tariffs, helped Democrats soar to victory in races around the country on Tuesday to retake control of both the House and Senate. Democrats were able to flip at least six Senate seats, including seats in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. With Alaska and Mississippi still outstanding, Democrats may finish with as many as 56 Senate seats.
The conflict in Iran was top of mind for many Americans, with almost three-quarters of voters saying the war was a crucial part of their vote, according to an NBC exit poll.
In fact, Trump’s own vice president, JD Vance, took to social media on Wednesday to blame Tuesday’s monumental losses on the ongoing war in the Middle East.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote in a social media post. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”
When asked about the vice president’s comments, Trump said he believes it’s “largely true” that the war had negatively impacted members of his party on the ballot this year “because it drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term.”
However, he defended his decision to take military action in the region, nonetheless.
“But at the same time, if I had to do it again, I’d do it again. Because long term, it’s the only answer,” Trump said. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The president also said he thinks he will get along with the Democrats, unless they “decide to be destructive.” He did not offer a direct endorsement for which Republican should be minority leader now that Democrats have assumed control of the House of Representatives.
“We’ll stay out of it,” Trump said. He also confirmed he did not ask current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R., La.) to take himself out of consideration for minority leader.
The bulk of the president’s remarks centered on his new White House ballroom project as he addressed its progress and various improvements being made. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum appeared alongside Trump, with the pair standing in front of a white beam covered in signatures — the final one being raised in the project.
“Everybody in the room signed it,” Trump said. “All of the workers, not just the steel workers, the plumbers, electricians, the painters, everybody signed it. And I’m going to be the last to sign it.”
The president also spoke to construction workers onsite in his first public appearance since Election Day.
“This is a special structure. It’s going to be not only one of the biggest, but it’ll be the most beautiful ballroom, I think, anywhere in the world, and they’ve been trying to get it for 150 years,” Trump said at ballroom site on the White House grounds.
“This will be something very special. And so we’re putting up the last piece of steel. I thought it would be appropriate to have the media here,” Trump continued.
His first remarks after Republicans’ devastating Election Day losses largely mirrored his closing argument to voters on Monday, in which he focused largely on his efforts to beautify Washington, including with major construction projects like the renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a municipal golf course.
Despite the enormous stakes of the midterms, Trump spent significant time in both speeches walking listeners through his pet projects.
Trump had already shown little appetite for self-reflection by late Tuesday evening, when he posted on Truth Social, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
“If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost. He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!” he added in a separate post.
Republicans expected a difficult night on Tuesday, as voters have historically turned against the party in power during midterm elections, and the GOP enjoyed a governing trifecta heading into Election Day. But outrage over Trump’s handling of issues related to an ever-increasing cost of living led to an unprecedented bloodbath that few predicted.
In some cases, Republicans were hurt by their poor choice in candidate, as was the case with scandal-plagued Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, and Darline Graham in South Carolina. But in others, the blue tsunami didn’t spare even ordinarily popular GOP lawmakers, like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who won his reelection bid in 2022 by double digits.
The major midterm losses could play a major role in shaping the party’s strategy in the 2028 presidential cycle — the first cycle in 12 years that will not have Trump on the ballot.