The key facts
- Democrats took the House of Representatives and the Senate, winning in a number of traditionally Republican states
- Trump promised to accept the election results but said he would become «Mr. Veto» for the Democrats
- Trump announced an agreement with Netanyahu to end the $4 billion annual payments to Israel by the end of the year — the news was received in Israel with surprise
Democrats take both chambers of Congress
In the US midterm elections held on Tuesday, the Democratic Party won a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, achieving a series of historic victories in several states where Republicans had traditionally prevailed. The National describes the outcome as a «stinging rebuke» to Trump. The election itself stood in stark contrast to 2020: back then, Trump, having lost to Joe Biden, called the results «fake polls» and refused to accept them.
«Mr. Veto» and readiness to accept the results
Even before the votes were counted, Trump said on the Pod Force One podcast that if Democrats won both chambers, he would «become Mr. Veto»: «I will not let them pass their bills». Once the outcome became clear, he posted a photo on Truth Social of a red cap with the word «veto», and in an interview with Fox News called the veto «one of the president's strongest powers», explaining that after a few months of blockades the Democrats themselves would come «to negotiate». To override a presidential veto, Democrats would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers. At the same time, unlike the situation in 2020, Trump told The New York Times that he was «absolutely ready to accept» the midterm results and «work with the Democrats», noting that they «did a good job».
«This is not a defeat for me»
Trump refused to consider the result a personal loss: «I was not on the ballot», he wrote on Truth Social, adding that if he had been on the list, the Republicans would have «won by a landslide». He also acknowledged that part of the Republicans' losses was connected to the war with Iran, but at the same time stated that people «understand the importance of what he did on Iran». He blamed the defeat on his absence from the ballot.
Statement on ending aid to Israel
A separate surprise was Trump's statement on Fox News that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had «several months ago» agreed to end the annual $4 billion in financial aid to Israel: «We have already agreed that by the end of this year we will not be paying Israel», he said, adding that the country «does not need it». According to Israeli media, this news was received in Israel with surprise. The National notes that the statement came at a time when Netanyahu himself is fighting to stay in power after parliamentary elections that showed his coalition losing its majority, and Israel's popularity in the US has been declining since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023.
«Fallback» plans
As the votes were being counted, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would become a political commentator and would analyze why each candidate won or lost. This was not his first statement about an alternative career: the day before, he told Fox News that «if Americans get tired of him, he will move to Israel and become prime minister», mentioning his popularity in that country.
