FACING THE MUSIC

Trump Nightmare as Democrats Take Senate to Control Congress

Republicans have lost their majorities in both chambers.

Donald Trump has been hit by a political earthquake, with Democrats seizing control of the Senate and the House after a string of extraordinary upsets in states that were supposed to be safely Republican.

The two chambers were wrenched from Republican control in a disastrous night for the president and his party.

In a rout that sent shockwaves through the MAGA world, voters sent a stunning rebuke to a president whose handpicked candidates and decision to make himself the center of the campaign led to Republicans losing control of both chambers of Congress.

The biggest losses were largely of Trump’s own making after he forced some GOP incumbents into early retirement.

In the biggest shock of the night, James Talarico beat Ken Paxton in traditionally deep red Texas, the first Democrat senator in 33 years. Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline, was also defeated in South Carolina.

In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper won a seat Republicans had long considered reliably red, held by Senator Thom Tillis, but when he chose not to seek reelection rather than cave to the president’s bullying, it blew the race wide open.

BLAME GAME

Trump Blames His Hand-Picked Candidates for Stunning Defeat

William Vaillancourt

Trump’s handpicked candidate, Michael Whatley, proved a disastrous choice for the GOP ticket.

In Georgia, won easily by Democrat star Jon Ossoff, Trump held off for the GOP primary but tipped the scales for loyalist Rep. Mike Collins just days before the runoff, setting up an ultra-MAGA candidate in what was originally believed to be the best opportunity for Republicans to flip a seat.

BACKFIRED

MAGA Stooges Humiliated as ‘Red Wave’ Boasts Blow Up

Annabella Rosciglione

Instead, they were saddled with a right-wing candidate who was a hard sell for moderate voters even before his ties to white nationalists and neo-nazis also slowly came to light.

The Senate result means Democrats will now control the Senate agenda and the country’s purse strings, chair its committees, wield subpoena power, and decide which of Trump’s nominees and legislation get a first look.

MAGAworld went into meltdown over the results, insisting it was the end of America as they knew it.

“Trump and his political team have managed to do what the pre-Trump GOP never did—shrink the map of Republican states,” said conservative radio host Erick Erickson. “Bush and Rove turned Texas red. Trump turned it blue. The pre-Trump GOP turned Georgia red. Trump turned it blue. But MAGA says we can’t go back to winning.”

The loss came despite Trump barnstorming the country, campaigning for candidates in a bid to bridge the gap.

LOST AND FOUND

Missing MAGA Congressman Humiliated in Election Disaster

Laura Esposito

But in the end, it accounted for little. The Democrats gained the four seats they needed to reclaim the chamber.

Exit poll results released before polls closed on Tuesday evening foreshadowed a bleak outlook for Republicans, with about 70 percent of voters saying they wanted Congress to do more to check Trump while about 60 percent blamed him for high prices.

The AP exit poll showed that three-quarters of voters were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country, six in ten disapproved of the president’s performance, and four in 10 said the economy was their top issue.

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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