Donald Trump faced a political reckoning on Tuesday as millions of Americans voted in midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in Washington and define the final two years of his divisive presidency. Based on consistently favourable opinion polls, Democrats were optimistic about regaining control of the House of Representatives and potentially also the Senate, although the party has suffered enough anguish during the Trump era to remain wary. The president’s approval rating has slumped to record lows, saddling Republicans with an unenviable task as they defend narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Trump has held 30 campaign rallies over the past month. The 80-year-old’s speeches have been strewn with lies, prejudice, repetitions and ruminations on men’s physiques including the “ass” of the Ohio senator Jon Husted. His closing address at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday focused mainly on algae, granite, re-caulking and grass.
In remarks apparently aimed at swaying largely Democratic-leaning voters unhappy with US support for Israel, Trump said the US would stop $4bn in annual funding to Israel after the end of this year. The president also said he would be watching the results come in later on Tuesday night at the White House, where he is hosting a viewing reception. Trump’s campaign message has increasingly appeared at odds with voters’ priorities.
He has sought to cast Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist. But polls suggest voters care more about their economic situation and the affordability message that swept Trump to power in 2024 could now come back to bite him. A /Ipsos poll found that 48% of voters considered the cost of living their most important issue in deciding how to vote, compared with 26% who cited democratic norms and 13% immigration.
Nearly half of Americans said their household finances had deteriorated since Trump returned to office in January 2025. More than 57 million Americans had already cast ballots by Monday, exceeding the early voting total recorded in 2022. Democrats, who deployed former president Barack Obama on the campaign trail, are hoping greater enthusiasm among their supporters, combined with dissatisfaction over the economy and the war with Iran, will translate into higher turnout.
All 435 seats in the House are being contested, alongside 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control of both chambers. The party out of power traditionally makes gains in midterm elections, with the president’s party having lost ground in the House in all but two such contests since the second world war.
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