Trump Criticizes Election Outcomes, Calls It a "Major Historical Setback"

President Donald Trump expressed his discontent on Sunday regarding the midterm election results, labeling them as a "major historical setback." He attributed the significant decline in Wall Street last week to the Democratic victories, but assured that the Republicans would return stronger than ever.

"The recent election results marked a major historical setback for the United States," Trump declared in a Truth Social post, five days after elections where his party fell short of their projected majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Trump directly linked the election outcome to the downturn in the U.S. stock market, which he had previously described as a "rocket" during his presidency. "Even the stock market, which has been a 'rocket' under Trump, experienced a $3 trillion loss in a single day," he claimed.

He ended his message with a promise of resurgence: "But do not worry, we will come back bigger and stronger than ever." His remarks followed the Republicans' loss of the anticipated control of both congressional chambers in last Tuesday's elections, a scenario not seen in midterms since 2006.

Until this point, the Republican Party had controlled both the Senate and the House, allowing Trump legislative majorities during the first two years of his second term. The election projections handed Democrats the majority in both chambers, which will take effect on January 3, 2027, when the new Congress is seated. Until then, Republicans will formally retain their outgoing congressional majorities.

In the Senate, Democrats achieved decisive victories in traditionally Republican states, including Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina. The opposition also regained the majority in the House of Representatives, needing at least 218 seats to do so.

Trump's reference to stock market losses pertains to the sharp decline observed last Thursday, when major Wall Street indices experienced significant drops. According to ABC News, the Dow Jones index fell by 1,833 points, roughly 3.4%, while the S&P 500 decreased by 4.3%, and the Nasdaq by 5.5%.

The decline particularly impacted large tech companies and firms associated with artificial intelligence. Analysts cited concerns about potential data center restrictions and other regulatory changes under the forthcoming Democratic majorities as contributing factors.

Despite his harsh words, Sunday's criticisms were not Trump's initial response to his party's defeat. On Thursday, he maintained that his absence from the ballots accounted for the outcome. "I simply wasn't on the ballot. If I had been, we would have won by a landslide!" he proclaimed in all caps.

With this assertion, Trump attempted to distance himself from the Republican losses, even though he had repeatedly urged his supporters during the campaign to vote as if his name were among the candidates.

That same Thursday, he also blamed Democrats directly for the market plunge, asserting that the stock market fell because his political adversaries performed well in Tuesday's elections.

In another post shared earlier, Trump described the trading day as one of the worst in history and claimed that American retirement accounts had suffered losses. He again vowed that the country would become "bigger and stronger than ever."

His messages contrasted with statements made on election night, when he expressed willingness to accept the election results and showed readiness to collaborate with Democrats, though he cautioned he would use his presidential veto against legislative initiatives he opposed.

On Wednesday, Trump posted an image of a red cap with the word "VETO" after previously indicating he would use his constitutional power if Democrats pursued measures contrary to his agenda.