Trump after Democrats win Congress: congratulates them, blames Fox News and his own candidates, says he "wasn't on the Ballot" (Nov. 3-4, 2026)

Case

After the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms, in which Democrats won control of the House and Senate, Trump said he would accept the results, blamed Fox News and Republican candidates for the losses, and said his party would have won "IN A LANDSLIDE" had he been on the ballot. He also floated vetoing Democratic legislation. The remarks are opinion and spin more than checkable false claims, but they bear on his earlier doubts about the election's integrity.

What was said (Nov. 3-4, 2026)
Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms, ending unified Republican control in Washington.
On Truth Social Trump wrote: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" He then posted an image of a red hat reading "VETO."
In late-night Tuesday posts Trump criticized Fox News, saying it gave Democrats too much coverage, and wrote that the network "bears responsibility for these losses," per Forbes. Forbes also reports a personal jab at a Fox host.
On Nov. 4 Trump called into Fox News and, per Forbes, said Democrats "did a good job" and "fought hard." He said he did not view the result as a hit on him, and blamed Republican candidates; Newsweek reports he said some endorsed candidates "fought me."
Trump told The New York Times he is "absolutely willing to accept" the results, per Newsweek. In October he had said he would accept them "if they're honest elections."
Forbes reports Trump blamed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's loss on Abbott becoming a "RINO," and told CBS News he could veto Democratic legislation if the two sides failed to reach agreement.
At the White House ballroom construction site on Nov. 4, Trump said "our country is more successful now than at any time in its history" and did not mention the election in his remarks, per Yahoo News.
Asked about Vice President JD Vance's view that the Iran war contributed to the losses, Trump said it was "largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit in the short term," per Yahoo News.

Perspectives

Defender — Donald Trump, in his own terms
Trump says the party loses seats in midterms when the president is not on the ballot, that his policies are not the cause, that he had "the greatest two years in the history of the presidency," that he accepts the results, and that Fox News and weak candidates who "fought" him are responsible for the losses.

Critic — Republicans blaming Trump; Vance and Trump pointing to the Iran war
Some Republicans have blamed Trump for the losses, while Trump and Vance point to the Iran war and its effect on gasoline prices. Critics note that Trump spent the campaign casting doubt on election integrity and that his administration sought to set aside about 20,000 California ballots, which the Supreme Court rejected, according to Forbes.

Note
Trump says the losses came from candidates and Fox coverage, not his policies; Vice President Vance and others point to the Iran war and gas prices, and some Republicans blame Trump.

Sources
[1] Forbes — Trump Congratulates Democrats, Then Blames Fox News For Midterm Losses And Posts 'VETO' Hat (https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2026/11/04/trump-congratulates-democrats-says-he-accepts-election-results/) · 2026-11-04
[2] Newsweek — Trump Defiant After Midterm Election Wipeout: 'Still Your President' (https://www.newsweek.com/trump-refuses-to-take-blame-for-disastrous-midterms-for-gop-12660289) · 2026-11-04
[3] Yahoo News — Trump rambles from his under-construction White House ballroom after Election Day disaster (https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-breaks-silence-disastrous-election-173945479.html) · 2026-11-04

Connections

Related — Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026: DOJ monitors' conduct, ICE/DHS warnings and scattered administrative problems; Trump tells NYT he will accept results (update, Nov. 4, 2026)
Follows Election Day coverage; both record Trump saying he will accept the results.

Same actor — Trump posts at 1:12 a.m. on Election Day that Alaska candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. may have been "kidnapped" by "corrupt Dumocrat lawyers," with no evidence offered (Nov. 3, 2026)
Trump's post-election statements follow his Election Day election-related posts.

Related — Trump questions midterm results days after saying he would accept them: "It's all about the machines" (Nov. 7-9, 2026)
Follows Trump's Nov. 3-4 statements accepting the results and congratulating Democrats.