Ruling Party Loses Congress, Blames Machines and Voters

Donald Trump's reaction to losing both chambers of Congress took one day to curdle. On Monday, November 9, he wrote on Truth Social: "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting 'dumps' were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote. It's all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!" Election officials nationwide have reported voting was largely routine. A White House official noted Trump had said before the elections he would respect the results "if they're honest elections."

That's a president who told The New York Times on Election Night, "We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out." The honeymoon with the ballot box lasted about a week.

Who Gets Crushed

The people who paid for the decisions made at the top are the ones the post-mortem keeps circling. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose defeat stunned observers, cited high gas prices, a prolonged war in Ukraine, and a war with Iran of the type Trump campaigned against. Trump and Vice President JD Vance themselves attributed the losses in part to the Iran conflict, which spiked gas prices, per USA Today. Gas prices don't hit the donor class. They hit people who commute to work.

Then there's the deportation machine. In a "60 Minutes" interview recorded Friday and aired Sunday, Trump said his deportation policies "might have been too tough." Sen. John Cornyn went further, saying Trump's ICE enforcement was overzealous. NBC said exit poll analysis found voters turned away over frustration with the economy and concerns about democracy. Notice who's missing from the self-criticism: the people taken by ICE, who don't get a do-over and don't get a Sunday interview.

What They're Calling "Order"

Democrats are on track to hold roughly 260 House seats next year, and Senate Democrats could control 56 seats. The Hill called both numbers "almost unthinkable." NBC News said Democrats are poised for their biggest majorities since 2009. Surprising victories came in South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, per NewsNation. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico beat Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by more than 12 percentage points. Paxton had beaten Cornyn in the GOP primary after Trump backed him. Cornyn said Paxton's corruption was "vehemently rejected," and that "Texas did not turn blue; it was really a referendum on their choices within the Senate race and the president's poor approval rating."

The Capitol, meanwhile, is consumed with who gets the gavel. Senate Republicans hold leadership elections tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. ET, and a growing number want a delay. A letter led by Sen. Ron Johnson to Conference Chair Tom Cotton said holding elections without "a robust discussion and evaluation of how those running for leadership intend to lead" would be "political malpractice." It was signed by Sens. Mike Lee, Ted Budd, John Kennedy and Rick Scott. House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith wrote on X that the conference needs to address how its rules have empowered members to vote against rules, bills and even the Speaker.

The mood, per The Hill, was dour. Rep. Richard McCormick said, "There's a lot of pissed off people in there right now." Rep. Troy Nehls said he would give Congress an F, and argued the Senate left 500 or 600 House-passed bills sitting. Sen. Josh Hawley said Congress "made its priorities what were not the people's priorities."

The Shuffle at the Top

Trump announced Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff. Deputy chief of staff Richard Walters is leaving, and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate resigned. Trump said he likes Sen. John Thune but whether he keeps his role is "up to the senators." No one has declared a candidacy against Thune or other leaders.

Republicans lose their majorities on January 3, 2027. The Democrats arriving to replace them won seats in a vote where the economy and democracy topped voters' complaints. The people who feel those complaints hardest aren't in the leadership races. They're paying for gas, and for fear, right now.