After Tuesday’s sweeping repudiation of MAGA, the responsibility now falls on President Trump to understand what happened—and respond appropriately.

Unfortunately, if his remarks to reporters on Wednesday are any indication, Trump remains unwilling to confront the result.

He appears determined to ignore the unmistakable message from voters: Americans are struggling, and their lives have not improved. If returning the old guard to office is the only way to make that point to Mr. Trump and his political allies, voters seem prepared to do exactly that.

Trump’s conduct after suffering historic losses—including the election of Democrat James Talarico to the Senate in reliably Republican Texas, Maine’s rejection of longtime centrist Republican Susan Collins in favor of Democrat Troy Jackson, and South Carolina’s first Democratic Senate victory in decades—offers little reassurance. In South Carolina, voters turned away Trump’s chosen candidate, Senator Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham.

Not remotely.

With ballots still being counted in Mississippi, a state that has voted overwhelmingly Republican since the 1980s, Trump addressed the media at length. Yet his focus was not the election, the economy or the voters’ concerns. Instead, he talked about the ballroom under construction at the White House, its reflecting pool and the planned arch.

Trump opened his remarks by celebrating the new White House ballroom as “just a tremendous structure, the likes of which has never been done.” He highlighted ceilings more than 50 feet high—“like a five-story building”—before turning to the arch. It would resemble Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, he said, only “better” and “much more beautiful.”

After Tuesday’s sweeping rejection of MAGA, the responsibility now rests with President Trump to understand the result—and respond appropriately. Unfortunately, his Wednesday appearance before the media suggested that he remains in denial.

He continued with descriptions of the gardens, a proposed world-class golf course and the ways he claimed to have “beautified” Washington, DC.

“We just opened the reflecting pool two days ago,” he said enthusiastically. “And it’s magnificent.”

Magnificent?

For many Americans, the spectacle is more likely to be infuriating.

Democrats won decisively because millions of voters are under financial strain—and because Trump failed to deliver on promises to restore manufacturing, reduce prices and make everyday life more affordable.

That pledge appeared explicitly in the 2024 Republican platform. Item three, printed in capital letters, promised: “END INFLATION AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN.”

That message will ring hollow to the typical American spending $70 two or three times a week to fill the tank, commuting to a poorly paid job vulnerable to artificial intelligence, struggling to pay for groceries and worrying about winter heating bills. Those pressures are compounded, in part, by America’s continuing conflict with Iran, long after the public was told its nuclear capabilities had been neutralized.

Millennials, meanwhile, have been shut out of an increasingly expensive housing market. Even those who can assemble a down payment face mortgage rates hovering around 7 percent, a burden that has remained in place for years.

The AP Voter Poll, released on Election Day, found that 75 percent of voters considered the US economy “not good” or “poor.”

Those words could just as easily describe how many people view their own finances. A March 2026 LendingTree survey found that 37 percent of Americans lacked $500 in emergency savings.

For Americans aged 65 to 74, the median balance in 401(k) plans and IRAs is $257,000, according to Investopedia.

That is hardly a secure retirement.

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Four in 10 voters told the AP that the economy was their top concern, with gasoline and grocery prices causing the greatest anxiety.

Immigration, health care and “wokeness” ranked far lower.

But another issue should worry Trump even more: corruption.

The president was elected in 2016 and again in 2024 on promises to “drain the swamp.” He presented himself as wealthy enough to be beyond bribery and graft—unlike what he described as the Biden “crime family.” Yet his administration has increasingly come to symbolize allegations of corruption.

Celebrations surrounding Don Jr.’s second wedding were reportedly funded by a Russian oligarch, with the money returned only after a public backlash.

Former Don Jr. fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was rumored to have received an ambassadorship to Greece as a way to quietly move her out of the spotlight, was later removed after an alleged appeal to a Trump megadonor to “get this done for me today.” The request reportedly involved covering $100,000 in American Express debt.

Former Trump attorney Alina Habba—who, while serving as a federal prosecutor, signed a $50 million agreement with relatives of a Venezuelan banker later pardoned by Trump—was publicly rebuked by the president. Whether that rebuke carries any lasting significance is another question.

There is also Trump’s latest apparent fixation: the revolving lineup of young, attractive and politically inexperienced women at his side, with Natalie Harp the newest example.

Then came the disastrous appointment of Katie Zacharia, who lasted just five days as White House press secretary. It reinforced the impression that Trump is approaching the final half of his final term without the seriousness the moment demands.

Is this really the legacy he wants? To be remembered as the president who squandered the greatest political comeback in modern American history—then shut out polling, evidence and information that contradicted him?

His behavior on election night suggests that outcome is possible. As aides assembled in the White House East Room, Trump was reportedly isolated upstairs in the private residence with only Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Harp.

The first lady was absent. Marco Rubio also kept his distance.

A senior White House source told the Daily Mail that the atmosphere was “a very dark scene.” By 11 p.m., the source said, Trump was watching Fox News, barely speaking and “paralyzed into silence.”

He later turned to Truth Social to blame Fox News for the devastating losses. His response was far less reflective or measured than his 2024 reaction after he was shot in Butler, when he used his Republican National Convention speech to call for unity.

Will Trump treat this defeat with the seriousness it warrants? Will he once again appeal for unity and make clear that he intends to work not only with Democrats, but on behalf of all Americans?

Will he acknowledge that voters have spoken—and that he understands what they are saying?

If Trump hopes to preserve both his presidency and his legacy, and avoid being remembered as the “Mad King,” he must.

Insisting, as he did, that “we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE” if only he had been on the ballot is not an explanation. It is a rejection of reality.

Trump—and MAGA—were on the ballot. And they lost. By a lot.

A Democratic wave swept across the country Wednesday, costing Republicans control of both chambers of Congress in a powerful rejection of President Trump and his administration.

Democrats are projected to win as many as 258 seats in the House of Representatives, compared with 177 for Republicans, NBC reported. The result would give House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a potentially commanding majority and put him on course to become the first Black speaker of the House.

The party also captured seven Republican-held Senate seats, giving Democrats control of the upper chamber with 54 seats. Their majority could grow to 56 if Democrats prevail in the two outstanding contests in Alaska and Mississippi.

The outcome ranks among the most consequential midterm election victories in modern political history. Republicans lost both chambers just two years after sweeping to power in 2024.

Jeffries quickly celebrated the Democratic victory, telling supporters Wednesday that voters had rejected the Republican agenda.

“The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” Jeffries said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likewise hailed the party’s historic win, declaring: “Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate. And we have five words for the American people: relief is on the way.”

Democrats flipped Senate seats in Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Their victories in several traditionally Republican states helped drive the party’s sweeping comeback.

The House results were just as damaging for Republicans. Democrats made major gains across battleground states, including Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan, while also picking up seats in Texas, Pennsylvania and California despite Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps to their advantage.

Although Democrats have secured control of Congress, two Senate races remain too close to call and could determine the size of their majority.

Attention is now focused on Alaska and Mississippi, where Democrats are mounting two of the election’s biggest upset bids against Republican incumbents Dan Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith.

In Alaska, Democratic nominee Mary Peltola held a lead of just 626 votes over Sullivan — roughly 0.3 percentage points — with 74% of ballots counted Wednesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.

The race has also been clouded by allegations that Democrats recruited an independent candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to appear on the ballot alongside Sen. Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters. The candidate was dubbed “Decoy Dan,” and state and federal investigations into the alleged scheme are underway.

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One voter said he left the polling place before realizing he had mistakenly voted for the wrong candidate, Dan Sullivan.

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system remains the biggest barrier to declaring a winner.

Peltola leads the initial tally but has not reached the majority needed for an outright victory. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated and those voters’ ranked preferences will be redistributed until one contender secures a majority.

Alaska’s ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled for Nov. 18, while eligible absentee ballots continue to arrive. The state is aiming to certify the results on Nov. 25, meaning the winner may not be known for several weeks.

Mississippi is witnessing an even closer contest.

As of 3:15 p.m. EST Wednesday, Democrat Scott Colom led Hyde-Smith by only 65 votes, with approximately 96% of ballots counted. The candidates were each receiving about 48.9% of the vote, according to the AP.

Colom’s late momentum was driven partly by strong Democratic support in Hinds County and several majority-Black counties in the Mississippi Delta and the southwestern part of the state.

A Colom victory would represent a major political breakthrough in Mississippi, where a Democrat has not won a Senate race since 1982.

Democrats have cited increased Black voter turnout as one possible explanation for Hyde-Smith’s unexpectedly competitive race. They have also pointed to controversy surrounding the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which upended majority-Black congressional districts.

Hyde-Smith, however, still has reason to remain optimistic about her reelection prospects. President Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024, highlighting the state’s strong Republican tilt.

Outstanding absentee and affidavit ballots could delay a final result for several days.

With Democrats already celebrating their takeover in Washington, the remaining Senate contests will determine whether the party finishes with a 54-, 55- or 56-seat majority.

An Oregon father who raced into his daughters’ elementary school and shot an armed attacker made a desperate promise in newly released 911 audio: “I have a gun, and I will shoot them right now.”

The call from Kaylub Giamanco captures the chaos unfolding outside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on Oct. 15, when the armed father intervened in an attack that left three children and a teacher dead.

“Oh my god. Hello 911. Someone’s at the school. My daughter’s school with a gun,” Giamanco says in the recording released by the Deschutes 911 Service District.

Kaylub Giamanco returns to his home in Bend, Oregon, Oct. 17, 2026. Giamanco is the man who stopped a school shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School. (Kevin Perkins for News Media)

The dispatcher told him to wait for officers to arrive.

“OK, tell me exactly what happened. Don’t do anything. Let me get an officer there, OK?” the dispatcher says. “OK, I understand. Stay on the line with me.”

Police tape surrounds Silver Rail Elementary School after a shooting on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Bend, Oregon. (Joe Kline/AP Photo)

The recording then captures people trying to determine where the attacker is and whether he is still shooting.

“They’re on the south side, entering the building, right now,” Giamanco says, before warning that people are being shot.

Police tape surrounds Silver Rail Elementary School after a shooting on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Joe Kline/AP Photo)

“Sir, I need you to tell me what’s going on. We have help en route,” the dispatcher says.

Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter whose two daughters attended the school, later told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was afraid he might not survive entering the building.

School buses wait outside Silver Rail Elementary School after a shooting on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Joe Kline/AP Photo)

“That’s when I started hearing children pleading for their lives, and then I started hearing gunfire. And I just started army crawling faster and faster, and I told myself this is probably the last thing that I’m ever going to do,” he told the outlet.

Giamanco entered the school carrying a .40-caliber pistol he legally stored in his vehicle and encountered a teacher grappling with the 16-year-old attacker, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at an Oct. 16 news conference.

According to Krantz, the teacher threw her cellphone at the gunman and tackled him before Giamanco shot him several times.

Police said three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, along with 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert, were killed. Another child and a second teacher were wounded.

Although Giamanco has been praised for stopping the attacker, he has also expressed deep anguish over those he was unable to save.

“I want to apologize for not saving their babies,” he told OPB. “The gratitude for saving people’s children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn’t save.”

Lambert’s family praised Giamanco’s intervention in a statement read at the October news conference.

“We want the bystander who intervened to know we know he is going through a rough time, but we are grateful, and we think he is a hero,” the family said.

“You selflessly put yourself at risk for others.”

Megyn Kelly accused President Donald Trump of damaging the Republican Party through greed and an inner circle of “grifters” following the GOP’s devastating midterm losses.

Kelly, a registered Independent who describes herself as “more right-leaning,” criticized Trump on Wednesday after Democrats made history overnight by capturing both the House and the Senate.

The political commentator offered an unsparing assessment of Trump, who has been described as a lame duck after the sweeping Democratic victory.

“No one had any interest or appetite in anything related to Donald Trump. It was a harbinger of things to come,” Kelly told her viewers.

“Then they showed up and voted last night, and said the same to him: ‘We’re no longer interested in the Trump show. We’re over the antics, the grift, the making money off the backs of the American people who just wanted you to help them,’” Kelly said.

She went on to describe Trump’s presidency as a “missed opportunity.”

“To surround yourself with a field of grifters who want to make money off of the presidency as opposed to serving, being actual public servants in a humble role that was never meant to make someone a millionaire or billionaire.”

“It’s incredibly disheartening, and it’s such a missed opportunity. It’s such a missed opportunity by this president, who had the world at his feet, in his hands, who had so many of us believing in him,” Kelly continued.

Megyn Kelly accused President Donald Trump of harming the Republican Party through greed and an inner circle of “grifters” after the midterm losses

“No one had any interest or appetite in anything related to Donald Trump. It was a harbinger of things to come,” Kelly told viewers about the president, pictured on Wednesday

Despite her fierce criticism of Trump, Kelly also offered advice to the broader MAGA movement.

“But the Republicans have an opportunity here. I do believe that this is finally the chance for the Republican Party not to abandon MAGA’s core ideals, which are good and important, and which Trump should be credited with bringing before an American public that had refused to listen to him and a political class that refused to listen to working-class people who were suffering. But they need to take the good, discard the bad and find a new way forward.”

“And they’re going to have to find their own new, charismatic, honest and ethical leader. You can’t ride Trump’s coattails anymore. They are nonexistent. He cannot save you.”

Kelly opened her latest episode by discussing Vice President JD Vance’s public claim that the Iran war, a conflict spearheaded by Trump, helped explain why a majority of Americans voted for Democrats.

“You don’t have to take my word for it. Take the word of his own vice president,” Kelly said before reading Vance’s lengthy post on X, which attributed the election results to Trump.

Vance also outlined other reasons for the party’s defeat while urging Republican voters to give the MAGA movement another chance in the future.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” he said.

Vance delivered a pointed message to those who supported the Iran war, insisting they accept responsibility for urging the United States to intervene in the Middle East.

Kelly opened her latest episode by citing Vice President JD Vance’s claim that the Iran war, a conflict led by Trump, contributed to the Democratic vote

Soon after Vance’s post appeared, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, also joined the criticism of his father

“If you’d like to argue that it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so,” he said.

“Argue that it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”

Vance posted his election reaction shortly before arriving at the White House in his motorcade for private meetings.

The president withdrew to the White House for private policy meetings, with no public events scheduled overnight on Wednesday. By early afternoon, however, he summoned reporters to the ballroom.

Not long after Vance published his message, the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, added his own criticism of his father.

Trump Jr responded to Vance’s post by writing, “every word of this is…” followed by three hundred-point emojis.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another prominent Trump ally, also launched a blistering attack on the president after Election Day.

DeSantis described the midterm results as “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country.” He highlighted Democratic victories in the Texas governor’s and Senate races, calling the state “the crown jewel of Republican politics.”

James Talarico won the state’s Senate race, becoming the first Democrat to do so since 1988. Gina Hinojosa was also elected governor of the Lone Star State and will replace Greg Abbott beginning next year.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another prominent Trump ally, also delivered a blistering assessment of the president after Election Day

“Let’s just be clear: that is going to hurt. Not just for the next two years, but in a way that could reverberate for the next decade or more,” he said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday.

“And if the Republican Party doesn’t have Texas as an anchor, then we are not going to be viable nationally going forward.”

DeSantis had criticized the administration before the results were announced, warning during a podcast interview that Republicans who refused to acknowledge the Iran war had pushed gas prices higher were “gaslighting” voters.

“Gas is higher. It hurts working-class people, and it’s higher because of this conflict. That’s just a fact. If you can’t admit that to voters, then you’re gaslighting them, and they’re not going to listen to you on other things,” DeSantis told Stephen A. Smith.

He called the war a “big drag” on the Republican Party and said it might not have become an issue had it ended as quickly as the Venezuela operation.

Ballots continue to be counted and processed across California, with several closely watched statewide propositions still undecided. The final results are scheduled to be certified on December 11.

For the latest election developments, follow the live blog covering the Los Angeles mayoral race between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, and check back regularly for updated vote totals.

Here is the latest status of California’s propositions:

Prop 40: California Billionaires Wealth Tax

The measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on California residents whose wealth exceeds $1 billion, with most of the resulting revenue directed toward healthcare programs.

Prop 40 would not directly affect most Californians. Supporters say it could raise tens of billions of dollars for public services, while critics argue the tax could push wealthy residents and their businesses out of the state.

“No” votes currently lead with 55.59%, compared with 44.41% for “Yes,” leaving the proposal on track for defeat.

• Status: Headed for defeat

Prop 3: Permanent Funding for Schools and Healthcare

This proposal would extend California’s existing income-tax surcharge on high earners beyond its scheduled expiration in 2031, providing continued funding for education and healthcare initiatives.

The surcharge applies to individual incomes above $371,000 and joint incomes above $743,000. Revenue would support public schools and community colleges.

The additional funds are projected to generate between $5 billion and $15 billion annually for K–12 education and healthcare programs.

Prop 45: Faster Environmental Reviews and Firm Deadlines

The measure would streamline environmental reviews and impose stricter deadlines under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. It would cover construction, improvement, maintenance, repair and replacement projects, as well as infrastructure such as roads and water systems and new energy development.

Supporters contend the changes would accelerate housing and infrastructure construction. Opponents counter that the proposal could weaken environmental safeguards.

Prop 39: Voter ID Requirement

The proposal would require government-issued identification for in-person voting, additional identifying information on mail-in ballots and a sworn declaration of citizenship. Supporters say the changes would strengthen election security.

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The measure has failed, meaning California’s existing voting rules remain unchanged and voters will not be required to show photo identification at polling places.

Prop 41: Limits on New Taxes and Audits

The proposition would restrict new state taxes whose revenue falls outside California’s spending limit. It would also require audits and additional oversight for programs financed by newly created taxes. In effect, the measure would block taxes designed to bypass the state’s standard spending cap.

• Status: Headed for defeat

Prop 42: Ban on New Personal Property Taxes

The proposal would prohibit new taxes on personal property and certain retroactive tax increases. It is intended to limit implementation of the proposed wealth tax. If both measures pass, the proposition receiving more votes would take precedence.

• Status: Headed for approval

Prop 43: Two-Thirds Vote for Local Special Taxes

This measure would raise the threshold for approving local special tax proposals from a simple majority to two-thirds of voters, making local tax increases more difficult to pass.

• Status: Headed for defeat

Prop 1: Bonds for Affordable Housing Programs

The proposition would authorize $11.25 billion in state bonds for affordable housing. The money could be used to build, rehabilitate and preserve housing, as well as support homeownership assistance programs for veterans.

Prop 37: Homebuyer Loan Program

The measure would create a loan program for middle-income buyers purchasing qualifying new homes. Participants could put down as little as 3%, rather than the conventional 20% down payment.

Prop 38: Bonds for Immunology Medical Research

The proposal would authorize $8.4 billion in state bonds for biomedical research into immune-based treatments for serious illnesses, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.

• Status: Headed for approval

Prop 44: Spending Requirements for Community Health Clinics

The measure would require federally qualified health centers to devote at least 90% of their revenue to patient care and related services. Clinics that fail to meet the requirement could be fined, with the money redirected to workforce training.

Prop 2: Expands California’s Rainy Day Fund

This proposal would increase the state’s budget reserve deposit cap from the current 10% to 20% of General Fund revenue. It would also allow limited use of the reserve to reduce unemployment insurance debt.

Prop 4: Public Campaign Financing

The measure would repeal a ban on state and local governments financing election campaigns, allowing them to create publicly funded campaign systems for candidates.

• Status: Headed for defeat

Prop 5: Changes to Recall Election Rules

The proposal would fill vacancies created by successful recalls through a special election, ending automatic replacement elections. The office would remain vacant until that separate election, and recalled officials would be allowed to run again.

• Status: Split, with a slight tip toward approval