Democrats take US House as Trump goes quiet on Truth Social during midterm count

Election night in Washington

Trump spent Election Day at the White House rather than at Mar-a-Lago, where he had been expected to celebrate. Guests began arriving at a party in the East Room around 7, and screens in the residence carried the returns as they came in. A team led by James Blair, one of the architects of the 2024 return and close to chief of staff Susie Wiles, kept in touch with operatives in the field. Earlier in the day Trump signed an internal measure, proclaimed an anticommunism week and posted a burst of last-minute endorsements on Truth Social. When the first counting data began to arrive, he attacked journalists.

Democrats gain ground in the House

Early counts gave Democrats control of the House, with the Senate two seats away, by the early hours of 4 November. Trump had posted nothing on Truth Social for about three hours. His only public sign was a video on X urging Republican voters waiting in line to stay put and cast their ballots, which the Republican campaign committee reposted. Former White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News after a call with the president, said he remained cautiously optimistic and had given everything he could. He watched the count from the East Room with members of his administration and advisers.

A fundraising email and a fight with Fox News

As polls were closing in key states such as Michigan, Trump sent supporters a fundraising email. It described his second term as practically halfway done, called Democrats more out of control, angry and dangerous than ever, and warned that they would openly seek his impeachment if they won Congress. Trump then posted three times over 95 minutes to criticize Fox News, accusing the channel of devoting too much time to Democrats obsessed with him and of losing viewers because it opposed him. He cited a recent CNN poll that he said put Republican approval of him at 99%, and claimed his numbers were better than ever.

What a Democratic Congress could do

In the weeks before the vote, Trump told the New York Post he would act as a veto-heavy president if Democrats won. A veto can block opposition bills but cannot advance his own economic, fiscal or social reforms. Executive orders cannot allocate new federal funds, a power that belongs to the House, and they face constant challenges in federal courts. Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, and Russell Vought, the budget director, have reportedly been studying an emergency plan since April to widen executive power and work around Congress. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told Semafor that most of the new nominees, fewer than fifty, would struggle to be confirmed. Speculation also centers on the possible retirement of conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito within the next two years. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the weeks before the vote that a Democratic-led House could do little to block the president's agenda.

Republicans prepare a lame-duck sprint

Republicans are preparing a lame-duck sprint to pass as many laws as possible before the new Congress takes office on 3 January 2027. Party members already disagree about how hard to push the administration's agenda in that window and which bills to prioritize, with some lawmakers focused on federal spending measures. On the eve of the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the polls were wrong, that the race was not over and that it would be decided on Tuesday. On Sunday, 1 November, in Iowa, Trump called the midterms the most important in the country's history, warned that a Democratic win would bring a depression like that of 1929, and promised that every American adult would receive 5,000 dollars if Republicans kept control of Congress.