"Will Cooperate with Democrats": Did He Admit Defeat? There Was No "Shy Trump," Only "Angry Trump"

The influence of the so-called "shy Trump," which shook up past U.S. elections every time, was minimal.

In this U.S. midterm election, the sentiment of the so-called "angry Trump," which instead expressed disappointment with the second Trump administration and economic frustration, was decisive.

As of 10:30 p.m. local time on the 3rd (November 3) with vote counting underway, major broadcasters including CNN and NBC projected through exit polls that the Democratic Party would secure a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Respondents who said they voted to oppose President Trump stood at 43%, more than double the 16% who said they voted to express support.

Amid high inflation and economic hardship, Charlie Cook, founder of the U.S. election analysis firm The Cook Political Report, analyzed, "Rather than a 'blue wave' phenomenon where Democratic support spreads explosively, a 'red undertow' phenomenon where even traditional Republican supporters desert has clearly emerged."

As a result, from the early stages of vote counting, the likelihood grew that the Democrats would secure a majority in the House and even take control of the Senate.

U.S. election specialist website Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) projected the Democrats' probability of recapturing the House majority at 100%.

Ahead of the election on October 27, President Trump had initially hinted at the possibility of refusing to accept the election results by stating, "If the election is conducted honestly, I will respect the results," while also issuing a warning that "if the Democrats take control of Congress, I will actively exercise presidential vetoes."

However, on the night of the vote counting when the outline of a Democratic victory began to emerge, his attitude changed abruptly.

In an interview with The New York Times, when asked whether he would accept the election results, President Trump stated, "I have every intention of accepting them."

Even while receiving real-time news of the defeats of Republican Senate candidates he had endorsed, he hinted at a willingness to cooperate, saying, "I will cooperate with the Democrats, and I look forward to working together to achieve something."

However, on his social media, he posted that "if their own names had been on the ballot, they would have won by a landslide," showing an attitude that seemed to shift the blame for the defeat onto the party and candidates.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.