The key facts

  • Democrats won 53 Senate seats against 42 for Republicans and 221 House seats against 129.
  • Politico calls the election results 'a referendum against Trump's presidency' and suggests tensions between the US and Europe may grow.

Voting results

In the US midterm elections held on November 3, the Democratic Party won a majority in the House of Representatives in addition to the Senate. According to Associated Press data cited by Gazeta.Ru, in the Senate Democrats took 53 seats against 42 Republican mandates, and in the House of Representatives — 221 seats against 129 for the Republican Party.

Reaction and possible consequences

The European outlet Politico assesses the result as a 'catastrophe' for Donald Trump and 'a referendum against his presidency,' noting that Democrats won even in states where they had not won for decades — for example, in Kansas. In the outlet's view, Europe should respond cautiously to the voting results: the Trump administration may take out its irritation over the defeat on foreign policy, including the European Union and NATO, which would increase tensions in relations between the US and European countries.

What this changes

For Trump, the results mean losing control of both chambers of Congress: whereas before the election Republicans relied on a majority, the legislature is now controlled by Democrats, which limits the president's ability to advance his agenda. Separately, Representative Chepa statedthat the Democrats' victory would not immediately affect the negotiations on Ukraine. Politico's forecasts about the White House's reaction remain the outlet's assessment, not a confirmed decision by the administration.