Trump says 'largely true' Iran war led to Republican midterm loss

While the outcome of Tuesday's midterms is clear, two Senate races are still undecided.

In the conservative Deep South state of Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom was leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 1,200 votes with 96% of ballots counted, according to AP data.

At a press conference in Jackson on Wednesday morning, Colom thanked voters for their support and said he was "very confident" of delivering what would be a historic win.

If Colom can hold on to his narrow lead, he would become the first Democratic Senator from Mississippi since 1982. 

Colom would also become the first African American from the state to serve as Senator since Blanche Bruce, who was born into slavery. Bruce represented Mississippi in the Senate from 1875 to 1881.

Mississippi's result isn't expected for days, as thousands of uncounted ballots still need to be verified for voter eligibility, according to local media.

In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola was leading Republican Dan Sullivan by just 637 votes with 75% of ballots counted on Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press.

That race has been overshadowed by allegations that aides to Peltola recruited another man called Dan Sullivan in a bid to confuse voters and siphon votes from the Republican candidate.

The other Dan Sullivan had secured 3,600 votes by Wednesday night, considerably more than the 637 votes currently splitting the two frontrunners, AP results show.

Peltola has insisted she "knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot" except for herself and the incumbent. 

"I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan," she said on October 29, the week before the midterms.

Because Alaska uses a ranked-choice system and thousands of early and absentee votes still have to be counted, the result of that Senate race might not be known for weeks.

From high oil prices and data centers to tariffs and mounting debt, economic concerns played a key role in the crushing defeat of President Donald Trump's Republicans. So can the Democrats now make a difference?

US President Donald Trump has backed his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite the Iran war being identified as a key factor behind the Republican Party's heavy defeat in Tuesday's midterms.

The US president on Wednesday said that he was not considering firing Hegseth, who has also used the title Secretary of War since Trump rebranded the Pentagon, telling reporters: "I think he's doing a very good job."

Hegseth has championed the US-Israeli campaign against Iran and has clashed with Democratic lawmakers during tense congressional hearings over the US military's budget.

The war has cost US taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and caused fuel prices to spike, issues that proved to be significant liabilities for the Republican Party in the midterms.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said it was "largely true" that the Iran war had led to the Republicans' trouncing at the ballot box, while Vice President JD Vance also said it had cost the party and publicly questioned whether the conflict was worth it.

As Democrats celebrate major gains, false claims about election fraud have spread. Viral posts alleging illegal voting and election rigging are intended to fuel doubt about the integrity of the vote.

Ukrainian President ​Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes Democratic gains in the US midterms will help boost American support for Ukraine.

Under Donald Trump's leadership, US support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion has wavered, while Trump has repeatedly blamed Zelenskyy for prolonging the conflict.

The US leader has also been accused of being too soft on Russia and its president Vladimir Putin.

In an interview on Wednesday with German public broadcaster ZDF, Zelenskyy said he hopes Kyiv will benefit from the Democratic Party winning control of both chambers of Congress.

"I am also ‌grateful to the ⁠Republicans, ⁠but the Democrats speak very clearly about supporting Ukraine and providing assistance to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in comments provided in German before the interview was aired.

"They speak about renewing the ​connection between the United States and Europe... Therefore, there is hope that a balance of power will emerge ​and that we will receive more support," the Ukrainian president added.

President Donald Trump's Republican Party lost races even in states it had held for decades.

For Democrats, the results surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. They now have control of Congress. 

Relief in Europe, but also a warning not to celebrate too soon. Donald Trump has lost both chambers of Congress, yet he remains in charge of US foreign policy and retains significant power over trade.

DW News looks at the reaction from Europe and the markets, and ask whether a weakened Trump might become more predictable, or more confrontational.

Donald Trump spoke about the outcome of the midterm elections to reporters at the construction site of the White House ballroom.

He hailed the ballroom, which is being built after the East Wing of the White House was demolished, as a "structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere."   

During the remarks, Trump was asked about Vice President JD Vance's post which blamed the Iran war for the midterm losses to the Democrats. 

"I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term," Trump said. "But at the same time, if I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again. Because long term, it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon." 

The president also ruled out firing Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who has guided efforts on the Iran war, saying "I think he's doing a very good job."    

In regard to the Democrats, Trump said he was willing to work with the opposition. However, he warned the Democrats against impeachment. 

"I think it would destroy the Democrat Party if they did that," the president said, while arguing there is "no reason" for him to be impeached. 

Trump was impeached by the House two times during his first term, but was never convicted and removed by the Senate.    

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes Trump will continue to bypass the US House and Senate in his last two years by issuing executive orders.  

"Trump has, for the past two years, largely governed without consulting Congress. Why should things be any different now?" Merz said during an economic forum of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). Merz's center-right Christian Democrats are in a governing coalition with the SPD.   

The German chancellor said he wasn't so "excited" about the Democratic victory in the midterms. 

"What will change is budget planning — and of course planning for the armed forces as well," Merz continued. 

The US Constitution grants the Congress the power of the purse. Congress can also influence military factors such as troop levels in Europe. 

US Vice President JD Vance, in a long post on X, said many voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election showed up to the polls and cast ballots for the Democrats out of anger. 

"The reason we lost is the war," Vance said, referring to the US-Israel war on Iran. 

"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so," Vance said. "Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."

"But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start here," the vice president said, while saying he remains hopeful "about our country."  

Mike Johnson, a representative from Louisiana who currently serves as US Speaker of the House, is unlikely to seek the position of House minority leader when Democrats take over in January, AP and Reuters reported. 

 Johnson, a close Trump ally, has served as speaker since October 2023.  

Jake Sherman, the founder of US congressional outlet Punchbowl News, reported that Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman from Ohio, is expected to announce his candidacy for House minority leader later on Wednesday. Jordan just won reelection in Ohio's 4th Congressional district. 

Shares of SpaceX and Tesla, companies run by tech billionaire and world's richest man Elon Musk, were both down about 5%, as US markets opened on Wednesday.

Musk is a Republican megadonor and had spent nearly $500 million to back Republican candidates in the midterms, including efforts to keep Republicans in power in Texas, a state home to both the automaker Tesla and rocket-to-AI company SpaceX, as well as being a hub to AI data centers.

But with Democrats seizing both houses of Congress and Gina Hinojosa defeating Greg Abbott in the Texas governor's race, Musk and his companies could face increasing scrutiny by Congress as well as Texas state authorities. 

Observers expect Democrats to tighten regulation of data-center ​projects and push for ‌construction moratoriums as local opposition grows over surging electricity costs.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said she hopes the new Democratic-majority Congress will continue support for Ukraine and pressure Russia. The next US House and Senate will be sworn in on January 3 next year.  

"US voters have made their choice clear," Kallas said. 

Previous Democratic President Joe Biden was a keen supporter of Ukraine when the the Russian invasion began in February 2022. US President Donald Trump, a Republican, has since pressured Ukraine into giving up land to Russia since his term began last year and has threatened to stop selling arms to the Ukrainians. 

The Democratic House and Senate will likely put a check on Trump's foreign policy toward Ukraine and Russia, with stronger congressional oversight expected. However, Trump is unlikely to make a major U-turn on foreign issues during his last two years in office and leads the US military as commander-in-chief. 

After sitting out the counting and results phase through the night, the White House press office made its first post-election foray on social media with what it termed a public service announcement. 

"PSA: Trump is still your president," said a caption in block capitals beneath a photo of Trump staring intently at the camera shared online. 

The post was captioned with what tends to be the 47th president's catchphrase signoff on his personal account on his own social media site Truth Social: "Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Trump and senior members of his Cabinet were yet to wade back into the public debate as the clocks ticked past 9:30 a.m. on the East Coast.