WASHINGTON—Voters delivered an astonishing rebuke to President Trump and his party on Tuesday, stripping Republicans of congressional control amid widespread frustrations with the economy and elevating a new class of Democratic lawmakers to power.
The backlash was more stunning than many analysts predicted, with voters taking out their anger over the war in Iran, the high cost of gasoline and groceries, alleged government corruption and what many saw as overly aggressive immigration enforcement. In the final month, he did daily rallies, primarily in red states, but his appearances only made things worse, many Republicans conceded. Candidates wanted Trump to show more empathy for voters’ economic concerns. More often, though, Trump’s behavior became the story. His marathon rallies were punctuated with exaggerations, heated rhetoric and off-color remarks, including his fixation on men’s bodies. On the eve of the election, Trump held an event at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, speaking extensively of his overhaul of the site and other pet projects across Washington. A divided government sets up clashes between Trump and Democrats over everything from funding the government and the Iran war to repealing tariffs and raising the debt ceiling. Majorities in the House and the Senate would also give Democrats subpoena power to investigate Trump, his administration, his family and his businesses. Trump has already entered a defensive posture, vowing to use his veto power and fight back against liberal policies.
Trump once famously said, “I alone can fix it,” and in the run-up to the election, he took his own advice, thrusting himself into the middle of the election. Taken together, Republicans said Trump looked increasingly out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. The president told voters to act like he was on the ballot, and they did—delivering a stark admonishment of his leadership. “Lawyer up,” Rep. “Buckle up,” a defiant White House said.
On Tuesday morning, Trump said, “Inflation is solved. Robert Garcia (D., Calif.), poised to take control of the House Oversight Committee, wrote on social media on Tuesday night.
Roughly nine in 10 voters said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their thinking on how to vote, according to results from a poll of more than 79,000 registered voters, conducted for the Associated Press and all the major television and cable news networks. Roughly six in 10 voters said they were very concerned about the cost of food, with a similar proportion registering that level of worry about the price of gasoline or diesel. More than six in 10 voters said the U.S. made the wrong decision in taking military action there. He tried a Hail Mary, promising to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans held congress, but voters didn’t buy that promise.
Because of Trump’s policies, almost two-thirds said inflation was up more. Trump vowed to get America out of wars and promised a “golden age. The president further hurt Republicans by playing down the cost of gas, while bragging about how much domestic oil producers were making. Trump’s tariffs also worked to push up consumer costs.
But his decision earlier this year to join Israel in a war against Iran proved politically disastrous, squeezing global energy markets and rippling throughout the economy. Republicans over the past year lost their electoral advantage on the economy and it showed on Tuesday.
