Democrats win Congress in US midterms, leaving Trump a lame duck

Democrats take both chambers

Democrats won control of the House and the Senate in the midterm elections of 3 November 2026, ending Republican control of both chambers of Congress. Lastampa notes that this is the first time since 2006 that the president's party has lost both chambers after a midterm vote. The Senate count differs between outlets: Il Messaggero says Democrats flipped seven seats in Republican-leaning states, including Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, while AGI says they took five seats from Republicans where four were needed. In Texas, AGI reports that Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott, with a lead of more than 15 points at 70% of votes counted. Decision Desk projected that James Talarico had beaten Ken Paxton for the Senate seat at 68% counted, with a 12-point lead, and that Annie Andrews had defeated Senator Darline Graham, who had inherited her seat from her brother after his sudden death in July.

What a lame-duck term means

Trump remains president until 2029 and keeps his veto and his executive powers, within the limits of the law, according to lastampa. Bills must pass both chambers before reaching his desk, so he can propose, negotiate and threaten vetoes but cannot force Congress to adopt his agenda. Congress can override a veto only with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Il Messaggero reports that advisers including Stephen Miller and Russell Vought have studied an emergency plan based on expanding executive orders, although those orders cannot allocate new federal funds and can be struck down by federal courts. The new Congress with a Democratic majority takes office on 3 January 2027, and Republicans are attempting a lame-duck sprint to pass laws before then, recalling that Congress passed 138 laws in one month in 1974 after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Trump's first response

On 4 November, Trump made his first public appearance since the vote during a visit to the construction site of the new White House ballroom, a 400 million dollar project in the East Wing that he aims to finish by the end of 2028, before leaving office. He said he was not worried about impeachment and that a Democratic impeachment without reason would destroy the party. He said he would probably get along with Democrats unless they chose to be destructive. He acknowledged that the war in Iran and rising petrol prices helped cause the Republican defeat, partly agreeing with Vice President JD Vance, while defending the military action on the grounds that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He said he would decide when the war ends and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is doing a good job, dismissing reports that he could be replaced. He told Fox News that he did not consider the result a blow to him, and posted on Truth Social that he would have won by a landslide had his name been on the ballot.

Party fallout and markets

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Republican congresswoman and former Trump ally, said he is 100% responsible for the defeat and that Republicans must expel him from the party to have a future. Citing CNN sources, Il Messaggero reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson will not run to lead the Republican minority when the new Congress convenes. Shares of Elon Musk's companies fell at the opening of Wall Street, with SpaceX down 3% and Tesla down 3.73%. Musk, one of Trump's main allies, spent almost 446 million dollars in the election cycle, according to Il Messaggero. The White House posted on X that Trump remains the country's president.