Trump says he 'wasn't on the Ballot' and blames GOP candidates, Abbott for midterm losses

President Donald Trump is blaming others for Tuesday's Democratic wins. In a Fox News interview that aired early Wednesday, he said Democrats "did a good job" in their campaigns and blamed Republican candidates for the losses, The Associated Press reported. ¹

That is a reversal. In the closing days, Trump repeatedly urged voters to "pretend I'm on the ballot," and AP said that made the results likely to be seen as a referendum on him. ¹

On tapeUSA TODAY · Nov 4

▶0:28

'I wasn't on the Ballot'

About 24 hours after he made that appeal, Trump began pointing the blame elsewhere as results came in, AP reported. He posted on social media on Tuesday night. ¹

I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!

Democrats flipped Republican-held Senate seats in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. AP said Trump had personally chosen the GOP nominees in some of those races or had campaigned for them. Trump won all seven of those states in 2024, counting Georgia, where Democrat Jon Ossoff held his seat. ¹

From Channel GOPTrump on pardoning officials: "I'd be allowed toDonald Trump · 198 plays · captioned, with the source named

Abbott takes the blame

Trump also turned on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican he had endorsed and praised. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Abbott, and Trump posted that Abbott was to blame for his loss, calling him a "RINO," which stands for "Republican in name only." ¹

The Texas Tribune reported that earlier on Tuesday, Trump had reiterated his endorsement of Abbott and called him a "strong and highly respected" three-term governor. The Tribune said Trump's post came shortly after Abbott conceded. ²

What Democrats say

Democrats argue that voters did see Trump as the issue. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, who campaigned in Iowa, Georgia and Texas this fall, said the strategy worked against Republicans. ¹

Trump's desire to have everyone think that he's on the ballot? Like, it's happening

The AP Voter Poll, a large survey of the midterm electorate, backs that up. About two-thirds of voters said Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions, and about two-thirds said his tariffs have "hurt" the economy. ¹

What happens next

A Democratic-led Senate can launch investigations and can stymie Trump's nominations to Cabinet posts and lifetime federal judgeships, AP reported. Democratic committees would also gain subpoena power, meaning they could legally compel the administration to hand over documents and testimony. ¹

AP said senior Democrats have signaled their targets: the Trump family's business dealings, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and broader allegations of corporate corruption. The White House could slow-walk requests and assert executive privilege, as it did in Trump's first term. ¹

Trump says he has a "strong veto." ¹

That matters because blame shapes behavior. A president who says his candidates, not his own record, lost may feel little pressure to change course on tariffs and the Iran war, which AP says drove up prices. ¹ That is analysis, not a finding in the reporting.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Democrats win control of the Senate; Trump posts that he 'wasn't on the Ballot' and calls Gov. Greg Abbott a 'RINO' after Abbott's loss ¹²
2. Nov 4, 2026In a Fox News interview, Trump says Democrats 'did a good job' and blames GOP candidates ¹

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Trump says he &#39;wasn&#39;t on the Ballot&#39; and blames GOP candidates, Abbott for midterm losses</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-says-he-wasn-t-on-the-ballot-and-blames-gop-candidates-abbott-for-midterm">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Donald Trump is blaming others for Tuesday&#39;s Democratic wins. In a Fox News interview that aired early Wednesday, he said Democrats &quot;did a good job&quot; in their campaigns and blamed Republican candidates for the losses, The Associated Press reported.</p> <p>That is a reversal. In the closing days, Trump repeatedly urged voters to &quot;pretend I&#39;m on the ballot,&quot; and AP said that made the results likely to be seen as a referendum on him.</p> <h2>&#39;I wasn&#39;t on the Ballot&#39;</h2> <p>About 24 hours after he made that appeal, Trump began pointing the blame elsewhere as results came in, AP reported. He posted on social media on Tuesday night.</p> <blockquote><p>I wasn&#39;t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Democrats flipped Republican-held Senate seats in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. AP said Trump had personally chosen the GOP nominees in some of those races or had campaigned for them. Trump won all seven of those states in 2024, counting Georgia, where Democrat Jon Ossoff held his seat.</p> <h2>Abbott takes the blame</h2> <p>Trump also turned on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican he had endorsed and praised. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Abbott, and Trump posted that Abbott was to blame for his loss, calling him a &quot;RINO,&quot; which stands for &quot;Republican in name only.&quot;</p> <p>The Texas Tribune reported that earlier on Tuesday, Trump had reiterated his endorsement of Abbott and called him a &quot;strong and highly respected&quot; three-term governor. The Tribune said Trump&#39;s post came shortly after Abbott conceded.</p> <h2>What Democrats say</h2> <p>Democrats argue that voters did see Trump as the issue. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, who campaigned in Iowa, Georgia and Texas this fall, said the strategy worked against Republicans.</p> <blockquote><p>Trump&#39;s desire to have everyone think that he&#39;s on the ballot? Like, it&#39;s happening</p><p>&mdash; Andy Kim, U.S. senator, Democrat-New Jersey</p></blockquote> <p>The AP Voter Poll, a large survey of the midterm electorate, backs that up. About two-thirds of voters said Trump&#39;s policies have worsened economic conditions, and about two-thirds said his tariffs have &quot;hurt&quot; the economy.</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>A Democratic-led Senate can launch investigations and can stymie Trump&#39;s nominations to Cabinet posts and lifetime federal judgeships, AP reported. Democratic committees would also gain subpoena power, meaning they could legally compel the administration to hand over documents and testimony.</p> <p>AP said senior Democrats have signaled their targets: the Trump family&#39;s business dealings, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and broader allegations of corporate corruption. The White House could slow-walk requests and assert executive privilege, as it did in Trump&#39;s first term.</p> <p>Trump says he has a &quot;strong veto.&quot;</p> <p>That matters because blame shapes behavior. A president who says his candidates, not his own record, lost may feel little pressure to change course on tariffs and the Iran war, which AP says drove up prices. That is analysis, not a finding in the reporting.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-says-he-wasn-t-on-the-ballot-and-blames-gop-candidates-abbott-for-midterm">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/trump-says-he-wasn-t-on-the-ballot-and-blames-gop-candidates-abbott-for-midterm.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. PBS NewsHour (AP), “Trump says Democrats 'did a good job,' blames Republican candidates for midterm losses” (2026-11-04). pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-democrats-did-a-good-jo
2. The Texas Tribune, “Greg Abbott lost because he became a RINO, Trump says” (2026-11-03). texastribune.org/2026/11/03/texas-trump-abbott-loss-comment-

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.