Democrats have taken control of both chambers of the US Congress after a sweeping set of victories in the 2026 midterm elections, prompting one Democratic senator to brand Donald Trump a "failed lame duck president."
Historic Senate and House Flips
The Democrats won Senate seats in the former Republican strongholds of Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Maine and Iowa. They also regained control of the House of Representatives, which they last held in 2023, flipping numerous seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey, Indiana and North Carolina.
The midterm elections were widely seen as a referendum on the controversial Republican president. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats in the 100-member Senate to win a majority, while in the 435-member House, they needed three.
Trump Responds to Defeat
The scale of the defeat represents a major blow to Mr Trump, who had previously urged people to pretend he was on the voting slip. In response, he posted on his Truth Social platform: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!"
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Trump admitted the results had surprised him. "I thought they'd do better, we had tremendous rallies," he said. "I thought that I could transfer those people into candidates." He also congratulated the Democrats, saying: "They did a good job. They worked very hard."
Despite offering to work with opponents, he also posted a picture of a red baseball cap emblazoned with the word "Veto", suggesting he would block legislation they sought to take through Congress.
Democratic Victories and Reactions
Democrat US senator Jon Ossoff, who won re-election in Georgia which had been a top Republican target, told supporters: "In sweeping and decisive victories the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption, and incompetence of the failed lame duck president Donald J Trump."
In Kansas, church pastor Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in nearly a century. He said: "I think the people in Kansas, Republicans, independents and Democrats are saying what's happening in Washington is not OK. I got elected because Kansans were saying, 'We're tired of the bullies. We're tired of the chaos'."
James Talarico became the first Democrat to be elected a US senator for Texas in nearly four decades, defeating Republican Ken Paxton, who had been backed by Mr Trump. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown won a Senate seat held by vice president JD Vance just two years ago.
Democrat Annie Andrews beat Mr Trump's hand-picked candidate Darline Graham to take the South Carolina Senate seat. Democrat Troy Jackson won election to the US Senate representing Maine, defeating Republican incumbent Susan Collins, who had held the seat for almost three decades. The Democrats also flipped the Senate seat in North Carolina when governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, who was supported by Mr Trump.
Mr Cooper said: "I'm not going to Washington to be something, I'm going to Washington to do something."
Democrats Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Amy Acton in Ohio, Rod Sand in Iowa, and Gina Hinojosa in Texas won races for governor, ousting Republicans from office. In California, long-shot Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a former top aide to David Cameron, lost to former state attorney general Xavier Becerra.
Impact and UK Response
With the Democrats in control on Capitol Hill, Mr Trump faces having his domestic agenda frustrated as well as the threat of investigations into the conduct of his administration. However, the president still has executive authority in key areas, including foreign policy. The election outcome will also influence the debate and party strategies in the run-up to the 2028 presidential race.
The UK Government will continue to have an "excellent relationship" with Mr Trump's administration despite the electoral drubbing, ministers insisted. Health minister James Frith said: "It looks like an enormous night for American democracy and for the Democrats. We will see where the final numbers end up, but it looks like a seismic shift in domestic politics for the Americans."
He insisted it would not change Andy Burnham's relations with the Trump White House, telling Times Radio: "The change of emphasis of power in the States is frequent. But the mainstay of the relationship with the UK Government, as its closest ally, is unwavering and unchanging. So I don't expect it to change the nature of the relationship at all, it remains very strong."
