# Trump lost the midterms because he did exactly what he was elected to do

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/trump-lost-the-midterms-because-he-did-exactly-what-he-was-elected-to-do/
- Published: 2026-11-04T23:22:47+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T02:06:10+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/opinion/trump-lost-the-midterms-because-he-did-exactly-what-he-was-elected-to-do/
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Democrats won control of both houses of Congress.
- The columnist says Trump’s promises carried political costs.
- He argues history may view Trump’s choices favourably.

## Summary

Democrats’ sweeping midterm victory gave them control of both houses of Congress, and the opinion piece argues that President Donald Trump’s losses stemmed partly from carrying out the promises he made in 2024. It says his choices on immigration enforcement, Iran, China and tariffs brought political costs, but were intended to address national challenges rather than follow polling.

The article acknowledges that some policies were costly or poorly executed, citing higher prices from tariffs and a tariff on islands inhabited only by penguins that was later repaid after Supreme Court intervention. It compares Trump’s position with Ronald Reagan’s, whose party also lost both chambers after an unpopular tax reform, and argues Trump could still pursue his Iran policy. The piece is an opinion column by Joel Pollak, who contends history may judge Trump’s decisions favourably.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.