Donald Trump was asked what it felt like “to be a loser” after Republicans suffered heavy losses in this week’s midterm elections.
The US president appeared unimpressed by the question, which was shouted by a British reporter on Friday.
Trump did not respond. Instead, he walked away after speaking to reporters while leaving the White House for Florida.
The exchange followed a major political setback for the president, as US voters went to the polls on Wednesday to decide contests for seats in the Senate and House.
Republicans lost ground across the board, including shock Democratic victories in traditionally safe Republican states such as Texas.
Democrats now control both chambers, prompting Republicans to begin assigning blame while Trump removed Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Political commentators said voters had rejected key elements of the president’s agenda, with the war in Iran, tariffs and the rising cost of living all contributing to the result.
Trump was questioned about the election outcome as he left the White House on Thursday.
Donald Trump was asked what it feels like ‘to be a loser’ after his party was hammered in the mid-terms this week
Trump did not appear impressed by the question and simply walked away
“How does it feel being a loser, Mr President?” a British journalist called out.
The president offered no acknowledgment and walked away carrying a large umbrella.
Meanwhile, political figures in Britain who had previously praised Trump are beginning to distance themselves from him.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the result “entirely self-inflicted” in an interview with Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig on The Talk Show, saying: “Voters want results.”
She identified foreign policy and Trump’s tariffs as central sources of voter frustration, along with perceived threats to allies including Canada and Greenland.
Badenoch also condemned Trump’s treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as “awful” and said she objected to the way he had been “rude about [Sir] Keir Starmer”.
The Conservative leader added that she would have been satisfied if Democratic nominee Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election, quipping: “I like them both equally. Make of that what you will.”
Asked whether Trump deserved to be heavily defeated at the polls, she replied: “Well, yeah. He has not been acting in the way that I would consider conservative.
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“Where is the push for free markets, better trade and stronger enforcement of trade rules, rather than protectionism, America first and the squabbling with allies? That’s not what conservatives do.”
She continued: “We need to separate President Trump from the United States. The special relationship is with the country.
“When he was rude about Keir Starmer… I didn’t like that at all,” she added. “What they did to President Zelensky in the White House was awful.”
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is out following the results and has been replaced with Stephen Miller
As the fallout from the election continued, Vice-President JD Vance also blamed the war in Iran, marking a notable departure from his earlier support for the administration.
In a lengthy post on X, Vance discussed the conflict, listed other factors behind the Republican losses and urged voters to give the party another opportunity to advance the MAGA movement.
“The reason we lost is the war. The President himself said so last night,” he wrote.
“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so,” he added.
“Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”
Trump announced Thursday night that Wiles, his long-serving chief of staff, was leaving the post and would be replaced by Stephen Miller, the current deputy.
Asked about the change on Friday afternoon, Trump told reporters: “I wanted to make a change. I think Susie’s done a very good job, great job, but… we gotta make moves. Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
That account differs from the version given by a senior White House official, who told the Daily Mail that Wiles “gave her resignation last night”.
While Trump has said publicly that he decided a change was necessary, the official maintained that Wiles made the decision to leave.
Reports have claimed that Trump turned sharply against Wiles during a tense Oval Office confrontation and that she left while he was still shouting at her.
Four sources familiar with the dispute told the Daily Mail that Trump had criticized his chief of staff during a meeting with other aides and berated her over the election results, which represented a brutal outcome for the party.
She reportedly asked to remain in her position until February, but Trump refused before she submitted her resignation.
A White House official denied that Trump had raised his voice at Wiles, saying: “He would never yell at Susie.”
It is not yet clear whether Wiles will be the only senior official to leave in the wake of the election defeat.