DeSantis calls midterms a 'rebuke' of Trump and Congress as Republicans trade blame

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that Tuesday's midterm election was a rejection of his own party's leadership, and he blamed Republican voters who stayed home on promises the party did not keep ¹.

"This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over," DeSantis told Fox News's Laura Ingraham ¹.

On tapeCNN · Nov 5

▶14:46

He added that many Republican voters sat out because they were frustrated with the party's output in the House and Senate ¹. "They were promised big things, and they didn't deliver it," he said ¹.

The numbers behind the loss were stark. In a CBS News poll cited by The Hill, 75 percent of voters said the condition of the U.S. economy was "not good" ¹. A New York Times analysis of nationwide exit surveys found voters in every demographic group moved toward Democratic candidates compared with 2024 ¹.

From Channel GOPHakeem Jeffries: Democrats take back the HouseHakeem Jeffries · 42 plays · captioned, with the source named

Democrats won in red states including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina and flipped control of both chambers of Congress, a result The Hill described as a "blue tsunami" ¹. In Florida, Democrats gained ground in state races and defeated Republican House candidates, though Republicans held other major statewide offices ¹.

Texas senators join the blame

Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz responded Wednesday to Republican losses in their state's Senate and governor's races ¹. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled "Republicans Forgot How to Win Elections," Cornyn said the party failed on four fronts: broad voter appeal, candidate likeability, ability to deliver on promises and integrity ¹.

On tapePBS NewsHour · Nov 4

▶6:47

"This week's beat-down wasn't only foreseeable, it was foreseen," wrote Cornyn, who lost his reelection primary bid to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ¹.

Cruz warned that Texans would be hurt after Democratic state Reps. James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa won the state's Senate and gubernatorial races ¹. Cruz wrote on social media that Texas is blue and that it is a hard sentence to utter ¹. He added: "As we sit here today, I am the only statewide elected Republican who remains in Texas. That's not something I ever thought I would say" ¹.

The national picture

PBS NewsHour reported that voters delivered a sweeping rebuke to President Trump and his party, handing Democrats major victories and reshaping the balance of power in Washington ². Trump now enters a lame-duck phase of his second term, promising both to use his veto power and to work across the aisle as he faces the largest Democratic majorities in decades ².

Vice President J.D. Vance analyzed the defeat in a lengthy post, saying bluntly, "The reason we lost is the Iran war" ². He added that the Republican Party has to have an honest conversation about that topic after it led to higher prices and drove voters to want change ².

Trump, in his first comments since the losses, acknowledged the issue that cost him at the polls: "Probably, that's the primary reason, the price, not the war, the price" ². He also said: "Well, we're going to work with the Democrats to make sure things go well for our country. Very important. They have already called and they want to work with me. I have the right to veto everything. But I don't want to be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything" ².

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, poised to become the first Black speaker of the House, said he was open to dialogue ². "If the other side of the aisle wants to work with us to deliver the type of bold, dramatic, and decisive change the American people are demanding, we will sit down and we will have that conversation," he said ².

What happens next

Control of Congress is set, but the exact composition of the House and Senate will take time, with votes still being counted and dozens of states unresolved ². Two Senate races remain uncalled: Alaska, where about a quarter of the vote is outstanding, and Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 65 votes with a few thousand provisional ballots still to count ².

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms. The Republican blame game now unfolding will shape how the party fights the coming investigations and what it tells voters ahead of the next election.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Voters delivered a sweeping rebuke to President Trump and his party, handing Democrats major victories ².
2. Nov 4, 2026Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz responded to Republican defeats in their state's Senate and governor's races ¹.
3. Nov 5, 2026Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the midterms a "rebuke" of the president and Congress ¹.

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<h2>DeSantis calls midterms a &#39;rebuke&#39; of Trump and Congress as Republicans trade blame</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/desantis-calls-midterms-a-rebuke-of-trump-and-congress-as-republicans-trade-blame">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 5, 2026.</em></p> <p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that Tuesday&#39;s midterm election was a rejection of his own party&#39;s leadership, and he blamed Republican voters who stayed home on promises the party did not keep .</p> <p>&quot;This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over,&quot; DeSantis told Fox News&#39;s Laura Ingraham .</p> <p>He added that many Republican voters sat out because they were frustrated with the party&#39;s output in the House and Senate . &quot;They were promised big things, and they didn&#39;t deliver it,&quot; he said .</p> <p>The numbers behind the loss were stark. In a CBS News poll cited by The Hill, 75 percent of voters said the condition of the U.S. economy was &quot;not good&quot; . A New York Times analysis of nationwide exit surveys found voters in every demographic group moved toward Democratic candidates compared with 2024 .</p> <p>Democrats won in red states including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina and flipped control of both chambers of Congress, a result The Hill described as a &quot;blue tsunami&quot; . In Florida, Democrats gained ground in state races and defeated Republican House candidates, though Republicans held other major statewide offices .</p> <h2>Texas senators join the blame</h2> <p>Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz responded Wednesday to Republican losses in their state&#39;s Senate and governor&#39;s races . In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled &quot;Republicans Forgot How to Win Elections,&quot; Cornyn said the party failed on four fronts: broad voter appeal, candidate likeability, ability to deliver on promises and integrity .</p> <p>&quot;This week&#39;s beat-down wasn&#39;t only foreseeable, it was foreseen,&quot; wrote Cornyn, who lost his reelection primary bid to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton .</p> <p>Cruz warned that Texans would be hurt after Democratic state Reps. James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa won the state&#39;s Senate and gubernatorial races . Cruz wrote on social media that Texas is blue and that it is a hard sentence to utter . He added: &quot;As we sit here today, I am the only statewide elected Republican who remains in Texas. That&#39;s not something I ever thought I would say&quot; .</p> <h2>The national picture</h2> <p>PBS NewsHour reported that voters delivered a sweeping rebuke to President Trump and his party, handing Democrats major victories and reshaping the balance of power in Washington . Trump now enters a lame-duck phase of his second term, promising both to use his veto power and to work across the aisle as he faces the largest Democratic majorities in decades .</p> <p>Vice President J.D. Vance analyzed the defeat in a lengthy post, saying bluntly, &quot;The reason we lost is the Iran war&quot; . He added that the Republican Party has to have an honest conversation about that topic after it led to higher prices and drove voters to want change .</p> <p>Trump, in his first comments since the losses, acknowledged the issue that cost him at the polls: &quot;Probably, that&#39;s the primary reason, the price, not the war, the price&quot; . He also said: &quot;Well, we&#39;re going to work with the Democrats to make sure things go well for our country. Very important. They have already called and they want to work with me. I have the right to veto everything. But I don&#39;t want to be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything&quot; .</p> <p>Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, poised to become the first Black speaker of the House, said he was open to dialogue . &quot;If the other side of the aisle wants to work with us to deliver the type of bold, dramatic, and decisive change the American people are demanding, we will sit down and we will have that conversation,&quot; he said .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Control of Congress is set, but the exact composition of the House and Senate will take time, with votes still being counted and dozens of states unresolved . Two Senate races remain uncalled: Alaska, where about a quarter of the vote is outstanding, and Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 65 votes with a few thousand provisional ballots still to count .</p> <p>Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms. The Republican blame game now unfolding will shape how the party fights the coming investigations and what it tells voters ahead of the next election.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/desantis-calls-midterms-a-rebuke-of-trump-and-congress-as-republicans-trade-blame">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/desantis-calls-midterms-a-rebuke-of-trump-and-congress-as-republicans-trade-blame.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “DeSantis: 'No question' midterms a 'rebuke' of Trump, Congress” (2026-11-05). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6200226-ron-desantis-2026-midt
2. PBS NewsHour, “Midterm voters rebuke Trump, handing Democrats both chambers of Congress” (2026-11-04). pbs.org/newshour/show/midterm-voters-rebuke-trump-handing-de

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