US President Donald Trump has said he will accept the results of the 2026 midterm elections and is prepared to work with Democrats, as his Republican Party faces significant losses and Democrats are projected to reclaim control of the House of Representatives.
"I am absolutely willing to accept those results... We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out," Trump told The New York Times in an interview.
The remarks came as US networks projected that Democrats would secure enough seats to regain control of the House early next year, setting the stage for increased congressional scrutiny of Trump's administration and business interests during the final two years of his presidency.
According to CNN, Democrats are projected to take control of the lower chamber, marking a significant shift in Washington's balance of power. NBC News has also projected a Democratic House victory, estimating that the party could secure a majority of at least 244 seats.
Earlier, Trump sought to distance himself from the Republican losses, claiming that the outcome would have been different had his name appeared on the ballot.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: "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. President DONALD J. TRUMP."
During the midterm campaign, Trump had urged voters to imagine that he was on the ballot, making repeated appeals for support for Republican candidates.
The projected Democratic victory in the House could effectively stall Trump's legislative agenda and allow Democrats to launch investigations into his administration and business ventures through congressional oversight committees.
Democrats also registered significant gains in closely watched Senate contests, including in states where Trump had campaigned extensively.
Democrat Annie Andrews won the South Carolina Senate race, defeating Republican Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The result marked a major upset in a state that voted for Trump by nearly 20 percentage points in 2024 and had not elected a Democratic senator since 1998.
Democrats also flipped a Senate seat in North Carolina and retained their position in battleground Georgia.
The party needs a net gain of two more seats to secure control of the Senate, with contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas remaining closely watched.
The midterm elections also produced historic results in gubernatorial races.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a US state. Her victory also marked the first Democratic gubernatorial win in Georgia since 1998.
In neighbouring Florida, Republican Byron Donalds won the gubernatorial race, becoming the state's first Black governor and the first Black Republican elected governor in US history.
Democrats have flipped more than half a dozen House seats, and the gains could be sufficient to secure a majority if they retain all the districts they currently represent.
Republicans, meanwhile, could pick up some Democratic-held seats in states that redrew their congressional district boundaries.
The projected shift in congressional power is expected to shape the final two years of Trump's presidency, with Democrats preparing to exercise greater oversight over the administration while navigating a potentially divided government.
(With agency inputs from ANI and AP via PTI)