U.S. midterm elections 2026 updates: Democrats vow to rein in Trump as he shows off White House ballroom

A meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears increasingly unlikely when the U.S. president travels to Asia in November, analysts say, after he suffered a crushing midterm election defeat. Mr.

Trump had said he “may” meet Mr. Kim this month and that it “would be exciting”, but appeared to backtrack in October, saying, “I don’t know... I’m not sure that anybody’s asking for a meeting,” while adding that his “relationship with Kim Jong Un is very good.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview on Wednesday (November 4, 2026), said he hoped gains by Democrats in the U.S.

midterm elections would generate more help for Ukraine in its war with Russia. His remarks came after Democrats seized control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress in a sweeping rejection of U.S. President Trump’s party and his policies.

Mr. Trump backed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as questions swirl about his future following the midterms rout. Asked whether he was considering replacing Mr. Hegseth, whom he has described as a champion of the war, Mr.

Trump told reporters: Mexican ‌President Claudia Sheinbaum on ⁠Thursday said it was “very ‌likely” and “logical” that raids ‌and ‌racism ⁠against ⁠immigrants influenced the Latino vote in U.S. ‌midterm elections. Democrats won control of ‌Congress in Tuesday’s elections, making gains ⁠deep in Republican-held ‌districts as voters delivered a rebuke to ‌President Donald Trump and his agenda.- Reuters Following the drubbing of U.S.

President Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the midterm elections, Iranians set fire to a giant poster featuring the American leader and his allies at a rally in Tehran. The cheering audience waved red flags to demand revenge for Khamenei’s death.

“We will kill Trump,” read the slogan on some of the flags waved by the crowd as a song named “We Must Rise” mourning Khamenei blared from nearby speakers. As Washington navigates the fallout from a sweeping Republican electoral defeat, Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the U.S., Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has launched a blistering critique of American leadership, accusing officials of bringing “losing gambler energy” to the table while America teeters on an “Israel-First cliff”.

In a post on X, Mr. Ghalibaf wrote, “Losing gambler energy, can’t walk away from the table. Boss is prepping the next war phase while America teeters on an Israel-First cliff. Skip the TED talk. Why not say this to your boss?” Democrats vowed to use their resounding midterm victory to rein in President Donald Trump, setting up two years of possible deadlock in Washington, as Mr.

Trump spent his first post-election appearance showing off his under-construction White House ballroom. It will be the first time ⁠that Mr. Trump, a Republican who also held the White House from 2017 to 2021, has had to contend with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Wednesday (November 4) that the incoming majority would be focused on affordability and accountability. Mr. Trump’s announcement showed that even the Republican President, who moved the American embassy to Jerusalem in his first term, cracked down on pro-Palestine protests at home and launched a war, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against Iran, recognised the growing electoral liability of unconditional support for Israel.

The midterm results could accelerate this political churn. The Democrats have secured control of both the House and the Senate. The election was fought largely on domestic issues, particularly the economy and the cost of living, but the war on Iran and its impact on the economy, particularly fuel prices, also figured in the Republican setback.

Mr. Trump himself acknowledged that the war had hurt his party. Vice President J.D. Vance, in a lengthy social media post, blamed the war for the defeat and one of the four suggestions made to gain back the ground was to “change our relationship to Israel”.

U.S.-Israel ties face renewed strain as midterms shift political dynamics, domestic debates, and bipartisan scrutiny of support.