Play store
US President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to work with Democrats after the party secured victories in both chambers of Congress—the Senate and the House of Representatives—in the US midterm elections.
The outcome became clear late Tuesday night local time. Soon afterwards, Trump revealed that leaders from the opposition camp had called him.
In an interview with Politico, Trump stressed that his administration would work with Democrats for the good of the country.
Trump joined Politico’s live broadcast on election night and told the outlet, “We are going to work with the Democrats to ensure the good of the country. That’s very important.”
Adopting a somewhat conciliatory tone, Trump said he had the power to veto any legislation passed by the new Democrat-controlled Congress. However, he did not want to spend the next two years simply sitting back and vetoing every bill.
This was in contrast to his earlier remarks, when he had suggested otherwise and even referred to himself as “Mr Veto”.
Trump told Politico, “They have already called me. They want to work with me.” However, he declined to identify who had contacted him.
The Democratic blue wave has swept away the Republican red. In the 435-seat House of Representatives, Democrats have so far won 224 seats, while Trump’s Republicans have secured 138. Results for 73 seats are still pending. Democrats are leading in 32 of those races, while Republicans are ahead in 33.
Democrats have so far flipped 27 additional seats from Republicans, putting them on course for a majority. A party needs 218 seats to control the House of Representatives.
## ‘We would have won if I had been a candidate’
Trump’s decision to engage in a conflict with Iran is believed to have contributed to the Republican Party’s (GOP) major electoral setback. However, the president has defended his decision.
Trump said, “Many people say oil prices have gone up because of Iran. But I am absolutely convinced that my decision on Iran was entirely correct. It was taken in the long-term interests of our country and, indeed, the entire world. And my decision remains the right one.”
Explaining why so many Republican candidates lost in the midterm elections, Trump said, “I thought I was not on the ballot. There was nothing I could do about it. If I had been a candidate, we would have won.” Source: CNN.
