In a development that surprised absolutely no one except perhaps the president himself, Donald Trump spent months telling supporters to pretend he was on the ballot, only to declare on Tuesday night that he "wasn't on the ballot" as Democrats racked up a string of victories over his Republican party in the US midterm elections. The blue wave, it turns out, did not care about his semantic gymnastics.
While the vote was widely seen as a referendum on his leadership - a framing he has spent months encouraging - Trump insisted on social media: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" The logic here is breathtaking: the man who campaigned as if his name were printed on every line now claims he was merely a spectator. Democracy, apparently, is a spectator sport when you're losing.
Democrats retook control of the US Senate and are widely expected to take the House of Representatives, delivering a series of stunning defeats for Republicans in former strongholds. Kansas elected Democrat Adam Hamilton to the Senate for the first time since 1932. Texas elected Democrat James Talarico for the first time since 1988. South Carolina elected Democrat Annie Andrews for the first time since 1998. At this rate, Republicans might want to check whether they've accidentally been running in the wrong country.
Trump, ever the gracious loser, told the New York Times he is "absolutely willing to accept those results" and prepared to work with Democrats. "We'll, you know, look forward to working with them," he said. "We'll probably work something out." That's the sound of a man who has just realised the veto pen isn't a magic wand.
Concerns over the cost of living, rising fuel prices and an unpopular war with Iran loomed large over the campaign. Trump's approval rating has slumped to record lows, saddling Republicans with the unenviable task of defending narrow majorities in both chambers. The president held 30 campaign rallies over the past month, where his speeches were strewn with lies, prejudice, repetitions and ruminations on men's physiques - including the "ass" of Ohio senator Jon Husted. His closing address at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday focused mainly on algae, granite, re-caulking and grass. One assumes the grass was at least poll-tested.
In remarks apparently aimed at swaying largely Democratic-leaning voters unhappy with US support for Israel, Trump said the US would stop $4bn in annual funding to Israel after the end of this year. He also said he would watch the results from the White House, where he hosted a viewing reception - presumably with plenty of algae-themed canapés.
Trump's campaign message increasingly appeared at odds with voters' priorities. He sought to cast Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist. "The Democrat party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history," he said on Monday. But polls suggest voters cared more about their economic situation, and the affordability message that swept Trump to power in 2024 may now be coming back to bite him. Funny how that works.
All 435 House seats were contested, alongside 35 of the Senate's 100 seats. Democrats needed a net gain of three in the House and four in the Senate to take control. The party out of power traditionally makes gains in midterms, with the president's party having lost ground in the House in all but two such contests since World War II. History: not just a suggestion.
The Senate fight was concentrated in about a dozen competitive races, many in states Trump carried comfortably in 2024. Democrats sought victories in traditionally Republican territory including Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Alaska, while defending vulnerable seats. Early in the evening, Georgia senator Jon Ossoff won re-election against Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Collins. Democrats also flipped a Senate seat in North Carolina, with Roy Cooper defeating Michael Whatley, a Trump-endorsed former chair of the Republican National Committee. In a historic night of firsts, Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in Georgia, and Chris Pappas became the first out gay man elected to the Senate in New Hampshire.
In Texas, Talarico ended his party's three-decade drought in statewide elections, defeating Republican state attorney general Ken Paxton in the US Senate contest. The race attracted national attention and huge financial backing, including more than $150m in Republican support from billionaire Elon Musk. Paxton, who has faced a series of scandals, attacked Talarico on cultural issues, while the Democrat - combining proud religious faith with economic populism - focused on the economic consequences of Trump's tariffs and the war in Iran. At a packed rally in Austin on Monday night, Talarico said Musk and other big-money groups were desperately trying to stop him: "They are scared. They are terrified. They see what we see: that we are about to win this election tomorrow night." Spoiler: he was right.
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, narrowly led Republican senator Roger Marshall in opinion polls. The state voted for Trump by more than 16 percentage points in 2024 and had not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century. Michigan emerged as another critical battleground, where progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faced former Republican congressman Mike Rogers in a contest complicated by an extraordinary intervention from Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the Democratic primary before endorsing Rogers on Sunday. The Republican told reporters: "I'm proud of her for doing what she believes was the right thing to do." The Democratic party's divisions over Israel were on full display. El-Sayed, who could become the country's first Muslim senator, was subjected to attacks questioning his loyalty and patriotism, which he dismissed as shameful, arguing voters' concerns about the cost of living should take precedence. In Alaska, the race between Republican senator Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola was overshadowed by allegations that Peltola's campaign helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to confuse voters - a tactic so absurd it might have been borrowed from a sitcom. Peltola denied involvement. Other closely watched contests included Maine, where Republican senator Susan Collins sought a sixth term, and Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and South Carolina.
In the House, Democrats flipped five seats - three in Pennsylvania, a key swing state that voted for Trump in 2024. Beyond Congress, voters chose governors in 36 states, alongside thousands of state legislative seats and ballot measures covering abortion rights and taxes.
The elections could have profound consequences for Trump's ability to govern. A Democratic takeover of either chamber would provide a check on the White House, potentially opening the way to investigations, attempts to block presidential nominees and renewed impeachment efforts. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries would be in line to become the first Black speaker of the House if his party takes control. He has promised an aggressive oversight agenda and a focus on reducing the cost of living - novel concepts, apparently.
The campaign was among the most expensive in US history, with a projected $11.9bn in spending by candidates and outside political groups. Musk alone spent about $366m supporting Republicans, according to campaign finance records - a sum that could have funded a lot of algae research. Republicans also sought to improve their prospects through an aggressive redistricting effort, though some anticipated gains appear unlikely to materialise. Much of the party's advertising expenditure went into states and districts Trump won comfortably in 2024, underlining how far Republicans have been forced on to the defensive.
Alongside the political battle, concerns mounted about possible federal interference in the voting process. The justice department announced it would deploy about 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states - the biggest such effort in its history. The department said the monitors would observe compliance with federal law, but Democrats and voting rights groups warned their presence could intimidate voters. The Trump administration also pursued an unprecedented series of legal challenges over alleged non-citizen voting, despite evidence that such cases are exceptionally rare. A separate legal battle focused on Alaska, where the justice department sought to prevent certification of the Senate result if Sullivan narrowly lost. A federal judge dismissed the initial effort, though the administration continued to pursue an appeal. Trump has repeatedly made false claims about widespread electoral fraud and urged Republicans to take greater control of voting in several states. He declined to rule out extraordinary measures, including declaring a national emergency, although the constitution gives the president no direct authority over election administration. Details, details.
The elections are also likely to influence early positioning for the 2028 presidential contest, potentially strengthening Democratic figures such as California governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois governor JB Pritzker, while testing the prospects of vice-president JD Vance and other Republicans seeking to inherit Trump's political coalition. Whether that coalition includes the algae vote remains to be seen.