- Published
Inside the Republican Party, initial shock at the stunning election results on Tuesday night quickly gave way to anger with US President Donald Trump.
asserted
shock → publish → Trump
After Democrats won upset after upset in deep-red states like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, some Republicans focused their ire on Trump, arguing that his focus on his legacy and indifference to voter concerns cost the party control of Congress.
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focus → win → Congress
It's a total, complete rejection of President Trump," Bill Miller, a top Republican lobbyist in Texas, told the BBC.
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Miller → tell → BBC
Nobody saw it coming like this."
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it → see → this
Most Republicans expected to lose control of the House and were clear-eyed about the challenge of holding onto the Senate in a tough election cycle that favoured the party out of power.
But some said in interviews that Trump dragged them down with unpopular policies, a low job approval rating and obsession over construction projects in Washington.
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Trump → expect → Washington
"It was just one mistake after another," said Gregg Peppin, a Republican strategist in Minnesota.
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Peppin → say → Minnesota
"Clearly, in state after state, people did not like the president's policies."
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people → like → policies
A White House ally said public disapproval with Trump over the Iran war, tariffs and the administration's immigration crackdown created a "perfect storm" in November.
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disapproval → say → November
"There's palpable frustration [within] the party about how this has all played out," the person said, and much of it is directed at Trump.
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much → be → Trump
The BBC spoke to a dozen party operatives, campaign officials, White House allies and others, many of whom spoke on background to offer a candid assessment of Trump's approach to the midterms.
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many → speak → midterms
Trump and Republicans had a lot riding on the outcome on Tuesday night.
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Trump → have → night
A stronger showing by the president's party - as happened in 2022, when Democrats under then-President Joe Biden lost just nine seats in the House, and gained one in the Senate - would have given Republicans some momentum heading into 2028.
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Democrats → happen → 2028
But Trump will instead face a motivated Democratic majority in Congress that is eager to investigate the administration, block his judicial nominees and stymie the rest of his agenda.
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that → face → agenda
The midterms have ushered in an uncertain new phase in Trump's second term and may force Republicans to start grappling with their post-Trump future.
"I don't think his influence is slipping," said Steve Scheffler, the Republican National Committeeman in Iowa, speaking on the eve of the election.
uncertain
Scheffler → usher → election
Still, he said, when it came to the midterms, "there were things you wish he said differently".
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he → say → midterms
Trump was silent for much of the night before posting a message on Truth Social after the House and Senate were called for Democrats.
"
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House → post → Democrats
I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!
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we → win → LANDSLIDE
Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump wrote.
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Trump → thank → matter
He said in later interviews with the New York Times and Fox News that he would accept the election results.
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he → say → results
Trump told Fox he was a "little bit surprised" by the election results, but noted that the president's party typically fared poorly in midterm elections.
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party → tell → elections
Since 1934, the party in the White House has only gained seats in three midterm elections.
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party → gain → elections
While the Democratic gains in 2026 did not set a record, the party did win dozens of House races, state governor contests and Senate seats, including in states where the party had not been competitive for decades.
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party → set → decades
Before Tuesday, Democrats had not won a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932, and had not won a statewide race in Texas in more than three decades.
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Democrats → win → decades
The party also notched surprise upsets in other reliably red states like South Carolina that were thought to be safe seats for Republicans just weeks before Election Day.
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that → notch → Day
Trump and Vice-President JD Vance held dozens of campaign rallies in the run-up to the midterms.
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Trump → hold → midterms
The principal Trump-aligned Super PAC, MAGA Inc., spent hundreds of millions backing Republican candidates.
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PAC → align → candidates
Trump allies said it was unfair to hold him responsible for the party's election losses.
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him → say → losses
They pointed to the history of midterm elections, and said the party was saddled with weak Republican candidates in battleground states like Georgia, Michigan and Texas.
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party → point → Georgia
Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee in Texas, ran "the worst Senate campaign in the country from either side of the aisle," said another Texas Republican operative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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who → run → anonymity
"If Ken's campaign knocked on 100,000 doors I'd be shocked," the source said.
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source → knock → doors
The person added that Paxton's victorious Democratic opponent, James Talarico, ran "a really good and smart campaign."
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opponent → add → campaign
Others defended Trump's autumn campaign schedule, noting that he had to balance his day job of running the country with midterm travel.
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he → defend → travel
He's not going to spend his time campaigning 24/7," said Krish Mathrani, the Michigan Republican Party's youth chair.
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Mathrani → go → time
Mathrani said Trump's campaign rallies helped drive up enthusiasm among Republican voters.
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rallies → say → voters
"President Trump is a turnout machine," he said.
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he → say → ?
But Trump's vaunted turnout operation has failed to deliver in elections when he's not on the ballot, and 2026 proved no different.
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2026 → fail → ballot
Voters rejected Trump's argument that the economy was better on his watch and that he was achieving his aims in the war with Iran.
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he → reject → Iran
The effort by Trump to portray Democrats as extreme socialists also fell flat, as voters handed victories to moderates like Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
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voters → portray → Carolina
"That just didn't work with Cooper," said a Cooper campaign official.
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official → work → Cooper
"Trying to tag him as some socialist liberal, that wasn't going to fly."
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that → try → liberal
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
