Democrats won an overwhelming victory in the November 4 election, winning the New York mayor’s race and the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey.
With the Democratic victory, voters appear to have condemned President Donald Trump in the first ballot box verdict against his return to power. Trump has acknowledged the Republican Party’s poor performance, and some conservatives have pointed to the races in blue states that Trump lost in 2024.
“According to the pollsters, the two reasons why Republicans lost tonight’s election were ‘Trump not on the ballot and the government shutdown,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without mentioning the pollsters’ names.
On November 5, the government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the previous one that lasted 35 days in 2019 under the Trump administration.
How else did Trump react to Tuesday’s election results?
Is Donald Trump posted on Zulan Mamdani’s wine?
As of the morning of November 5, President Trump had not yet posted a specific statement regarding Mamdani’s victory.
Trump, a former New York governor and longtime Democrat, lost in the primary and supported Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent. But on Tuesday, New Yorkers chose Zoran Mamdani, 34, who mobilized record volunteer and voter turnout.
“I’m not a fan of Cuomo anyway,” Trump said on “60 Minutes” the weekend before the election. “But if it were a fight between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’ll be honest with you, I’d pick the bad Democrat any day.”
Zoran Mamdani’s New York Major Race
Mamdani, 34, will be New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor.
Mr. Mamdani is not a communist, but a democratic socialist. Communist societies are not democratic, but democratic socialism exists in European democracies such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Trump publicly endorsed Cuomo in a subsequent Truth Social post, hinting that he would withhold federal funding from New York if Mamdani wins. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has already announced that $18 billion in infrastructure funding for New York City has been put on hold amid the government shutdown.
“Jews who vote for Zoran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Jew hater, are idiots!!!” Trump also posted on Truth Social on election day.
Trump speaks of victory in California redistricting battle, Proposition 50
In California, voters chose to pass Proposition 50. It’s Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to counter Texas’ new congressional map aimed at helping Republicans pick up five more seats in the 2026 midterm elections. Initial results show the ballot measure passed by a wide margin, potentially allowing the state to open five new seats to Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
“California’s unconstitutional redistricting is a colossal fraud in that the entire process, especially the votes themselves, are rigged. All ‘mail-in’ ballots that are ‘locked out’ to Republicans in the state are subject to the most intense legal and criminal scrutiny. Attention!” President Trump said on Truth Social on November 4 as voters headed to the polls.
At least a dozen states are also moving to change their congressional boundaries ahead of midterm elections.
Trump did not mention the state war in his Truth Social posts since the results came out.
What other reactions did President Trump share about election night?
In addition to posting on Truth Social, Trump also addressed the election results at a White House breakfast with Republican senators.
“We weren’t expected to win last night. It was very pro-Democratic, and I don’t think it was good for the Republicans,” Trump said at a breakfast meeting with Republican senators. “I don’t know if it was good for anyone. … We learned a lot.”
He said he would discuss further what the loss means and how it relates to the closure.
In another post on Truth Social late Tuesday, after several races were called, Trump said, “…and it begins!”
The White House did not immediately explain what he meant by that.
Contributors: Phillip M. Bailey, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, Michael Collins, Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky (@kinseycrowley.bsky.social).
