Trump calls US midterm elections rigged after Republican defeat, warns of Iran decision

Republicans lose the midterms

Republicans suffered a defeat in the US midterm elections, and according to La Stampa they have lost control of Congress. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump described the vote as unfair. He attributed part of the setback to the war against Iran and the rise in gasoline prices, which La Stampa reports he acknowledged. He nevertheless defended the decision to attack Tehran and said he would not have acted differently. On his own role, Trump said that if he had been on the ballot his party would have won, but that the enthusiasm at his rallies had not passed on to the candidates.

Rigged elections and impeachment

Trump said the elections were so rigged that people would not believe it, and he called his watching of the vote in Los Angeles a truly shameful event. He did not specify which seats, districts or races he was referring to, and the claim was made without supporting detail. Asked about impeachment at a White House event, he said he was not worried at all. He argued that an impeachment for no reason would destroy the Democratic Party if Democrats pursued one, and said the country was more successful than at any point in its history.

Iran and Ukraine

Trump said the United States would now make a decision on Iran, namely whether to complete the job so that it never happens again. He said he would prefer not to destroy the rest of the country if possible, but that he might be forced to, and that people would know very soon. On Ukraine, he predicted that a deal would come and would involve more than Ukraine, possibly all of Europe. He said the agreement would be great and magnificent and that everyone would be enthusiastic about it.

Markets and reaction in Italy

In a post on Truth Social reported on 6 November, Trump wrote that the stock market had one of the worst days in its history following the election results. He said the decline had lowered retirement plans and blamed Democrats rather than Republicans for it. He also promised that the country would return stronger than ever. In Rome, Cateno De Luca, leader of Sud chiama Nord, spoke outside Montecitorio and described the outcome as a backlash against policies that were too hardline.

“I think today Trump got a response, which we can call, sympathetically, a bit of a recoil effect of policies that were perhaps too hardline on sensitive issues.”