It wasn’t all bad news for the Republican Party as the midterm elections drew to a close. The GOP managed to flip three seats in the Senate, assuring their hold on that crucial branch of government. Losing the Senate would have been a major upset for the Republicans and their Senate win was in line with most polling data.
However, according to a report from FiveThirtyEight , the big news of Election Day was Democrats nabbing a projected 34 seats from Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. The last time Democrats were this competitive in the House races was during the 2008 General Election when Barack Obama became president. Those results came on the heels of a major economic recession, which the United States is not currently experiencing.
Democrat control of the House almost certainly spells trouble for Trump’s legislative agenda and could also result in major investigations into the president and his administration.
That said, Donald Trump doesn’t appear to have acknowledged the critical loss of an entire branch of government, as he took to his official Twitter this morning to gloat about a “Big Victory.” Less than an hour later he doubled down on his words, calling 2018 a “Big Win.” He then tweeted again that a news conference would be held at 11:30 a.m. today to discuss “success in the Midterms.”
The president has yet to publicly acknowledge the GOP’s losses in the House of Representatives.
Received so many Congratulations from so many on our Big Victory last night, including from foreign nations (friends) that were waiting me out, and hoping, on Trade Deals. Now we can all get back to work and get things done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
Those that worked with me in this incredible Midterm Election, embracing certain policies and principles, did very well. Those that did not, say goodbye! Yesterday was such a very Big Win, and all under the pressure of a Nasty and Hostile Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
Prior to Trump’s trio of victory-declaring tweets, he posted a quote about himself from political Republican commentator Ben Stein calling Trump “the magic man.”
Amid Trump’s most recent tweets, a large amount of Twitter users responded to the president’s victory declaration with a fury of mocking responses. Many users chimed in with comments like, “Who’s going to tell him?” Others saw fit to mention that a Democratic House Of Representatives can now request Trump’s tax returns, with some posting images depicting Trump behind bars.
#DonTheCon pic.twitter.com/tJVKgLRnq7
— Ed G (@Monty9911) November 7, 2018
Recently-elected House Democrats have already commented that they will formally request the president’s tax returns as one of their first orders of business on the House floor. It remains unclear how Trump would respond to such requests, but Trump has seen protection from House Republicans since his inauguration in 2017. As of January 2019, that protection will be gone and so will likely begin a congressional battle against the president that could very well persist all the way up to the 2020 presidential election.
It’s unclear what the President will discuss at his 11:30 a.m. news conference today, but it seems likely he will be focusing on Republican gains in the Senate and downplaying the Democrats’ House victory.
