Yesterday 15:40

White House, message after the Democrats’ election victory: “Public service announcement: Trump is still your president”

Gabriel Dumitrache

4 November 2026, 15:40

International

Doug Mills/The New York Times / AP / Profimedia

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The White House delivered an unusual message to Americans on Wednesday, after the Republicans' crushing defeat in the U.S. midterm elections: “Trump is still your president.” The message was published alongside a photograph of the president, in wording inspired by public service announcements and the style of his posts on Truth Social.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had previously conveyed the same idea, stating that Donald J. Trump is still the president of the United States. The administration's reaction comes after the Democrats won a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Trump tried to distance himself from the election result, arguing that his name was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won “by a landslide” if he had been running. During the campaign, however, the president held approximately 20 rallies and urged voters to regard the election as a vote on his performance in the White House.

The Democrats' victory gives them significant power to limit the presidential agenda over the next two years. They also won in states considered Republican strongholds, such as South Carolina, Texas, and Kansas. Trump said he would accept the results and was willing to work with Democrats, while retaining his veto power.

SUMMARY “Trump failed to live up to expectations”: Russian media on the Democrats' victory in the U.S. Congress

Context: Shortly before the vote, Trump put pressure on voters and said he would use the “right of veto” in negotiations

In the days leading up to the midterm elections, Donald Trump said that the vote was “the most important” event in Americans’ lives and mobilized his supporters in the campaign, attacking Democratic candidates and presenting the vote as a direct confrontation with the White House agenda.

At the same time, he warned that he would accept the result only if the elections were “fair” and intensified messages about alleged fraud, even promising rewards for information that would lead to convictions. Meanwhile, Trump reiterated that, if he prevailed, he would work with the Democrats, but indicated that he had a “strong” veto power.

The result was expected in the context of discontent also reflected in polls and media analyses: the press and campaign discussions were dominated by economic issues and the war with Iran, while the electoral debate was frequently presented as a test for the Trump administration, not just for the candidates.