WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said late Tuesday that he would accept the results of the midterm elections and was prepared to work with Democrats as the party took control of both chambers of Congress — the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to the New York Times.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump told the newspaper during a phone interview while watching election returns at the White House.
“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came as Republicans were routed in several closely watched races, with Democrats making gains that could reshape the balance of power in Washington and complicate the president’s legislative agenda for the remainder of his term.
The president blamed Republican losses partly on his absence from the ballot, arguing that the party’s performance might have been different had he been personally running in the elections.
After suffering major losses, Trump asserted he “wasn’t on the Ballot” but “would have won IN A LANDSLIDE” if he was – a reversal from his request that voters act as though he was.
For weeks, Trump had encouraged supporters to vote as though he was a candidate on the ballot, in the hopes of generating support for Republicans. But on Tuesday night, he dismissed concerns that the midterm results were a reflection of that.
“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said.
He reiterated his claim to the New York Times, saying: “I wasn’t on the ticket, and because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people out to vote.”
The US president also told the newspaper he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results of the midterms. –Agencies
