Donald Trump: ‘Democrats Did A Good Job’

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats after they were projected to win both chambers of Congress, saying they “did a good job” and that he will accept the results, while blaming Republican losses on candidates who “fought” him and on the fact that he was not on the ballot. He has not given a speech or held a press conference since the results came in, and the White House listed no public appearance for Wednesday, according to CBS News and CNBC.

“I think the Democrats did a good job. I really do,” Trump told Fox News early Wednesday, adding that they “fought hard,” according to CNN and The Hill. He said he does not like to consider the result a defeat for himself, according to Mediaite, and that the “short-term consequences” of high prices from the war likely played a part. He said voters “didn’t like the candidates” and that some of those he endorsed fought him, according to CNN and The Hill. Asked about Iran, he said part of the result was due to the war but that people understood what he has done, according to ABC News. He said he could work with Democrats on immigration and “many things,” though not on everything. He told Fox that he feels “badly” about the loss of South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, who lost to Democrat Annie Andrews, The Hill reported.

In a call with CBS News, Trump sent a message of “congratulations to the Democrats,” and said he looks forward to working with them for the good of the country, according to The Hill. In an interview with The New York Times late Tuesday, he said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results and that “we’ll probably work something out,” according to CNBC and Mediaite. According to the text provided to Kurdistan 24, he also told Fox he would definitely accept the results of all the races and that, while Democrats have taken Congress, they are not in a position to impose their will.

The president made clear he would use the veto. In a Politico livestream he predicted that after a couple of months of vetoes, Democrats would call asking how to get things done, CBS reported. Earlier Tuesday, he told CBS correspondent Robert Costa that he would welcome the nickname “Mr. Veto” and was prepared to use “tremendous” executive powers. Overriding a veto requires two-thirds of both chambers, which Democrats do not have on their own.

On Truth Social he wrote “I wasn’t on the Ballot,” saying he would have won in a landslide, and later wrote that he would become a “Political Pundit” explaining why candidates won and lost. His closing speech on Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had focused largely on renovation projects, with the midterms mentioned about 20 minutes in, according to MS NOW. He said “We gave this a very strong shot,” conceding that history was against him, according to CNN. He also said in a New York Post podcast that he was willing to issue preemptive pardons if Democrats took Congress, adding that he had done it for the January 6 defendants, according to MS NOW.

NBC News and CBS News projected that Democrats won the House and the Senate, flipping Republican-held seats in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa. Democrats have signaled that they would open investigations into the administration.