US President Donald Trump said Republicans would have won a much bigger victory in the 2026 US midterm elections if he had been on the ballot instead of his opponent Joe Biden. Speaking after Wednesday’s (Nov 4) election results were announced, Trump said that if he was on the ballot “the outcome would have been very different”.
Trump said Republicans “would have won” the elections if he had been on the ballot. Democrats made big gains in congressional races and put Republican control of Congress under pressure as well.
The 2026 midterm elections took place on November 3. Voters chose the composition of the entire House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate as well as governorships and state level offices (elections for several state offices were also held).
The results were a major blow to Republicans. They took control of the Senate and moved close to taking control of the House of Representatives as well as winning in several states where Republicans had been strong.
Among the key victories were Democratic wins in Texas, South Carolina and Ohio. James Talarico won a Senate seat in Texas; Sherrod Brown won in Ohio; former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper won his Senate race as well.
Trump’s comments were part of his argument that when he personally competes in an election it brings more voters to the Republican side before the midterms he had been telling supporters to treat the congressional elections as if he were personally running them.
🇺🇸 Trump says Republicans would have won “easily” if he was on the ballot. “I told the voters, "Pretend I'm on the ballot," but they didn't agree.” https://t.co/vta7bxSK0M
— Lenka White (@white_lenka) November 4, 2026
Trump also said in an Iowa campaign rally on Nov 1 that voter participation was much higher when he was on the ballot. He told supporters to vote Republican even though his name wasn’t on the congressional ballots.
However, the election results showed that Republicans were struggling in several important constituencies. Economic issues, rising living costs and dissatisfaction with the administration were among them.
CBS News reported exit polling which found that six in ten voters said Trump was a factor in their decision when they voted for the House of Representatives. Opposition to the president was also a motivating factor among Democrats.
Midterm elections are traditionally hard for the party in power at the White House. Voters use these elections to express views on how the president is doing and where the government should be going.
The Democrats’ wins could have important implications for Trump’s remaining years in office: A Congress controlled by the opposition party makes it harder for the administration to pass legislation, approve spending priorities and push its political agenda.
Trump has insisted that his absence from the ballot helped Republicans lose. His comments have once again brought attention to his power over the party and how presidential popularity relates to congressional election results.
Now that results are in from across the country both parties will look back at what happened and prepare for the next phase of American politics.
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