Trump Acknowledges Election Results Weren’t ‘Good’ For Republicans

Speaking ahead of a breakfast with GOP senators on Wednesday, President Donald Trump conceded that Tuesday’s elections did not go well for his party, while noting that the group would discuss how the ongoing government shutdown — now the longest in history — affected Republicans’ outcome at the polls. (Watch video above.)

“I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said of the election results. “I’m not sure it was good for anybody.”

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Indeed, Republicans had a bad night, losing the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, while a ballot initiative promoted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to fight back against Trump’s mid-decade redistricting effort was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the state.

Still, Trump said Election Day was “interesting” and “we learned a lot.”

“I thought we’d have a discussion after the press leaves about what last night represented and what we should do about it, and also about the shutdown and how that relates to last night,” he said. “I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor, and they say that I wasn’t on the ballot was the biggest factor.”

His comments echoed a post he made on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday evening, making excuses for the Republican Party’s poor showing, once it became clear Democrats delivered a strong performance, indicating they are on track to potentially retake control of the House of Representatives in next year’s elections.

Despite Trump’s claims, however, early exit polls showed that many people viewed their vote as a message of opposition to his administration, according to CNN.

Trump urged Republicans to abolish the filibuster — the Senate’s custom for requiring most legislation to meet a 60-vote threshold before it can pass — a move that most GOP members in the upper chamber are firmly opposed to, framing it as the “only way” to end the government shutdown.

“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster,” he said. “If you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape. We won’t pass any legislation.”

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Democrats have said they will not vote to reopen the government until Republicans agree to extend enhanced subsidies for millions of people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, a demand that the GOP refused to grant, prompting the extended government shutdown, which is now in its 36th day. Democratic leaders on Wednesday renewed their demand for a meeting with Trump and their Republican counterparts.

Meanwhile, Trump made no reference to the victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is projected to win the New York City mayoral race. The president previously railed against the 34-year-old, endorsing his main rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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