The key facts
- According to newspaper reports, the Democrats won majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives in the US midterm elections
- According to newspaper reports, Democrats won majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the US midterm elections
- The press notes seven Senate seats taken from Republicans, including Texas and Kansas, where a Democrat had not won since 1932
- Vice President JD Vance partly blames the Iran war for the defeat — as reported by the Telegraph, i Paper and Daily Mail
- Vice President JD Vance partly blames the defeat on the Iran war — as reported by the Telegraph, i Paper and Daily Mail
Election results on the front pages
Almost all British newspapers came out the morning after the US midterm elections with coverage of the Republican Party's heavy defeat, which, according to published tallies, is losing control of Congress. The front-page review is provided by BBC News. The Financial Times put on its front page the formula of a 'crushing midterm rebuke to Trump', noting that the Democrats are winning majorities in both chambers, as well as the markets' reaction to the results: oil fell in price, shares of tech giants rose.
'Blue wave' and historic Democratic victories
The Times writes that the president's opponents 'seized seven Senate seats' — in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and, as the night's main prize, in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico won. The Telegraph stresses that the victory in Kansas was historic: that state had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. The i Paper speaks of a 'blue wave that washed away MAGA candidates', while the Guardian, with the one-word headline 'Trumped', states that Americans 'woke up in a radically changed political landscape'. In Georgia, according to Metro, Democrat Jon Ossoff won, whom the publication calls a likely contender for the 2028 presidential election.
Intra-party blame and the White House reaction
The press pays particular attention to the search for those to blame within the Republican Party. The Telegraph reports that Vice President JD Vance 'turned against Trump' and blamed the 'humiliating defeat' on the Iran war; the Daily Mail adds that Donald Trump Jr says the same. At the same time, according to the Telegraph, the president himself remained defiant, declaring: 'I will do it all again.' The i Paper also quotes a White House comment: 'Trump is still your president.' The Independent links the election results directly to voters' discontent with the Iran war, and the Financial Times to the rising cost of living.
Other front-page topics
Not all newspapers devoted their front pages to the elections. The Sun ran a story about Thomas Markle Sr, father of the Duchess of Sussex: according to the publication, the FBI is preparing to search warehouses in Hollywood as part of an investigation into a possible third cache of materials on child abuse; Markle himself firmly denies possessing any such materials. The Daily Express put the residents of the village of Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire on its front page under the headline 'You're not listening to us!' — the story concerns a plan to house, in the paper's wording, more than 1,200 migrants in a community of about 600 people; this follows a government minister's statement that asylum seeker accommodation sites will be 'away from populated areas'.
Almost all the front pages carry the results of the US midterm elections, where President Donald Trump's Republican Party is suffering heavy defeats and will lose control of Congress. 'Crushing midterm rebuke to Trump' is the Financial Times' verdict, embedding a tally of the results so far - which show the Democrats winning majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives. 'Anger over cost of living spurs Democratic blue wave' the paper says, providing its business-focused audience a taste of the market reaction by reporting 'oil prices tumble and tech hyperscalers' shares surge'.
The Daily Telegraph focuses on the blame-shifting, saying Vice President JD Vance 'turns on Trump' and 'blames Iran war' after the 'Republicans' humiliating midterm election defeat'. It quotes the 'defiant' president after he said: I'll do it all again', according to the paper. The Telegraph also notes some of the Democrats' breakthroughs on the 'record-breaking' night, including its victory in Kansas which it explains 'had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932'.
“Trump faces backlash as Democrats make history” says the headline in the Times - placing a photo of James Talarico, the successful Senate Democratic candidate in Texas, placing a hand across his chest in front of his supporters at his victory rally, celebrating a feat not seen “for nearly 40 years”. It says the “president’s opponents” have “captured seven Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and, in the biggest prize of the night, in Texas”.
“Vance blames Trump’s war for crushing defeat” continues the i Paper. “Blue wave sweeps America - washing away Maga candidates”, the paper concludes, although it adds comments from the White House: “Trump is still your President”.
“The daggers were out for Donald Trump” says the Daily Mail, writing: “JD Vance and even Don Jr blame President’s Iran War debacle for poll wipeout”. The Mail also highlights a piece from its veteran columnist Richard Littlejohn under the headline “A Republican friend tells me: “Trump’s crazy, he’s capable of anything now - even starting WWIII”.
“Trumped” is the Guardian’s single-word headline. Americans “woke up to a radically altered political landscape”, the paper says, as a “new era on Capitol Hill dawned”.
“Lame Donald Duck” says the Metro, teasing the president using the “lame duck” refrain that appears on multiple front pages, crediting the insult to the victory speech of “Democrat big-hitter Jon Ossoff”, who won his Senate race in Georgia, who the paper nominates as “a likely 2028 presidential challenger”.
“Trump dumped” says the Independent. “American voters rebuke president over Iran war and hand Congress to Democrats in historic election upset,” it reports.
The lyrics sung by Frank Sinatra in My Way endure on the front page of the Daily Star, which says that Trump “faces final curtain”, concluding “and now the end is near”. The Star also shows the president holding a microphone with a speech bubble proclaiming: “I did it Maga way”.
The Daily Mirror revives Bruce Springstein with: “Reborn in the U.S.A.” writing that “Americans stood up to their bullying president and said no to hatred and lies”.
Switching focus from the midterms in the US, the Sun tops with a report on Thomas Markle Snr, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. “Markle filth stash no3” says its headline, writing that the FBI is to search Hollywood lock-ups” as they investigate a potential third cache of child abuse images”. Markle has strongly denied possessing any such images.
Finally, residents of Linton-on-Ouse in north Yorkshire stare down the barrel of a lens on the front page of the Daily Express, under the headline: “You are not listening!”, in relation to what the paper terms a “plan to dump more than 1,200 migrants into a community of just 600”. It comes after a government minister says “the planned sites to house asylum seekers will be ‘away from communities’,” according to the paper.
