President Donald Trump is facing a diminished position in his final two years in office after voters handed Democrats control of both the House and the Senate, checking the power he had exercised during his second term.
In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Trump rejected the idea that the election results were his fault or a direct consequence of his decision to go to war with Iran. The vice president had explicitly offered a different assessment. Trump accepted the results and said he would work with Democrats, while emphasizing that he could veto legislation.
“I’ll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive,” Trump said as a steel beam was being installed for his White House ballroom project. He then turned to discussing renovations, a subject he appeared more eager to address.
It is not yet clear whether Trump will take a pragmatic approach to negotiations. One ally described him as “dazed” after Tuesday’s losses.
After losing the 2020 presidential election, Trump withdrew to Mar-a-Lago, where he stewed over the defeat before planning a return. Once back in the White House, he showed little interest in compromise. Whether his response to this latest setback will be different remains uncertain.
Sources: The New York Times Politics.