With Democrats projected to take majorities in the House and Senate come January, President Donald Trump had made a surprise move and congratulated the party he’s called “Dumocrats” frequently.
“My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” said the president in a call with CBS News.
Trump started off his second term with GOP majorities in the House and the Senate. However, that didn’t totally prevent Democrats from fighting against Republican initiatives in Congress and even government shutdowns.
Now, with both chambers held by the Democratic party, the Trump administration and Republicans are expected to face even more challenges. Trump told CBS that he plans to work with the Democrats but also flexed his veto power. He posted about that power on Truth Social too, sharing an image of a red MAGA-style hat with the word “veto” on it.
“I think they’re gonna want to work with me,” Trump said. “Otherwise I’d just veto everything and they’re not gonna want that.”
While Congress does have the ability to override a presidential veto, it takes a two thirds majority in both chambers. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, experts expect the new Democratic-led Congress to focus on affordability and challenge the Trump administration over the Iran war, but “the absence of a veto-proof majority will constrain Democrats’ ability to reverse Trump’s tariff policies or his approach to the Ukraine war and relations with European allies.”
Leading up to the “blue wave” of Democratic election success on Tuesday, voters were becoming increasingly disappointed in how the Trump administration has handled the economy. Inflation is up this year, and Trump’s decision to have the U.S. join Israel to attack Iran has resulted in months of military engagement, deaths and high gas prices. Trump’s approval rating has also fallen this year.
Still, CBS News noted that Trump insisted that Republicans lost because the president himself wasn’t on the ballot. He said something similar Tuesday night on Truth Social.
In fact, Trump has been a bit harder on fellow Republicans than Democrats in the aftermath of the election. He accused longtime Republican Texas Gov Greg Abbott, who lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, of being a RINO or “Republican in Name Only” in a Truth Social post.
“I tried to help people get elected, and they were not elected, they couldn’t get elected,” he said, per CBS. “The people didn’t come out as they should have. If I were on the ballot they would have been out. But they didn’t. It’s just one of those things, you know? It’s a point in time. Happened many times before.”
On social media, Trump also blasted right-leaning news network Fox and said: “I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!”
