Trump hails success but loses the House
GAINS FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DONALD TRUMP took a buoyant view of midterm elections that saw his Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives.
His party kept control of the Senate and won some key state governor races, enabling the president to put a positive gloss on the results.
“Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!” Mr Trump tweeted late on Tuesday after staying quiet for most of election night.
Mr Trump also called House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a conversation that her office said included congratulations and a nod to her pitch for bipartisanship.
He later endorsed the idea of her being chosen by the Democrats as the Speaker of the House, which would put her second in line to presidency after vice president Mike Pence.
The new Democratic House majority will end the Republican Party’s dominance in Washington for the final two years of Mr Trump’s first term, with major questions looming about health care, immigration and government spending.
The president’s party will maintain control of the executive and judicial branches of the government, but Democrats suddenly have a foothold that gives them subpoena power to probe deep into Mr Trump’s personal and professional missteps and his longwithheld tax returns.