Republicans blame Trump for midterms defeat

Democrats win upset victories

Democrats won surprising victories across deep-red states including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina on Tuesday night, taking control of Congress from Republicans.

Republicans blame Trump directly

Top Republican lobbyist Bill Miller told the BBC: It's on him. It's not on anybody else. It's a total, complete rejection of President Trump.

“It's on him. It's not on anybody else. It's a total, complete rejection of President Trump.”

Trump's unpopular policies blamed

Republicans said Trump's focus on his legacy, low job approval rating and indifference to voter concerns dragged down the party across multiple states.

A perfect storm of issues

A White House ally said public disapproval over the Iran war, tariffs and the immigration crackdown created a perfect storm in November.

Trump's silent night response

Trump was silent for much of election night before posting on Truth Social: I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE.

“I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”

Historic Democratic gains

Democrats won dozens of House races, governor contests and Senate seats in states where they had not been competitive for decades, including Kansas and Texas.

Trump's campaign effort

Trump and Vice-President JD Vance held dozens of campaign rallies before the midterms. The principal Trump-aligned Super PAC, MAGA Inc., spent hundreds of millions backing Republican candidates.

Trump allies defend his role

Trump allies said it was unfair to hold him responsible, pointing to weak Republican candidates in battleground states and the history of midterm elections.

Ken Paxton's failed campaign

A Texas Republican operative said Ken Paxton ran the worst Senate campaign in the country from either side of the aisle, while his Democratic opponent James Talarico ran a really good and smart campaign.

“the worst Senate campaign in the country from either side of the aisle”

Trump distracted by other priorities

Trump seemed disinterested in the midterms over the summer, consumed instead by the war with Iran and construction projects in Washington including a ballroom and helipad at the White House.

The failed midterm convention

Trump dominated the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas in September, frustrating Republicans who wanted to highlight their candidates. The convention failed to attract a large television audience.

Trump's campaign trail missteps

Trump made headlines praising Ohio Senator John Husted's physique and called Michigan candidate Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist, drawing criticism for straying off-message in the final weeks.

White House scandals during campaign

As Trump campaigned, Katie Zacharia was ousted after five days as White House press secretary and Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as US ambassador to Greece over credit card debt reports.

Russian diesel deal backlash

Trump faced backlash in October for striking a deal to buy Russian diesel, which blindsided Congress and drew condemnation from some Republicans weeks after signing a sanctions bill.

Republicans look to 2028

Several Republicans said they were ready to look ahead to the twenty twenty-eight election, with Steve Scheffler saying the party had a pretty big bench including JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

Call for new direction

Republican strategist Gregg Peppin said the midterms results demonstrated the party needed a new direction and hoped they had turned the page from the Trump era.