[Anchor]

As the Democratic Party reclaimed both the Senate and the House early in the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump warned that any Democratic attempt to impeach him would lead to their own ruination. Indicating that he has no intention of replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—whom the opposition party has even proposed a motion to impeach—Trump signaled a head-on breakthrough.

For our first news today (Nov. 5), Washington correspondent Lee Hanseok has the report.

[Reporter]

US President Donald Trump acknowledged that criticism linking the crushing defeat in the midterm elections to the war with Iran was largely correct, admitting that the war's fallout has driven up oil prices.

However, he declared that he would push through head-on, stating he has no intention of altering his policy stance following the election defeat.

[Donald Trump / US President: If the Democrats try to do that, they are going to face utter ruin. If they pursue impeachment for absolutely no reason other than the fact that we have successfully led the country.]

Dismissing rumors of a replacement regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Democrats are demanding be held accountable through a personnel shake-up, Trump maintained that Hegseth is doing a good job.

Yet, signs of a fracture are emerging within the White House.

Vice President JD Vance criticized the Trump administration's course on social media, writing that voters who backed them in 2024 turned to the Democrats out of anger over the war and skyrocketing living costs.

Having secured a landslide victory in both the House and the Senate, the Democrats are gearing up for a full-scale offensive using their legislative and budgetary powers.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, heavily favored to become the nation's first Black House Speaker, pressed for an end to the Iran war before the new Congress is seated.

[Hakeem Jeffries / Democratic House Minority Leader: Without waiting until January 3rd when the new Congress begins, the president and the administration must put an immediate end to the reckless, costly, and elective war currently being waged in Iran.]

He then issued a public warning targeting the Trump family, stating that while there would be no political retaliation, power-driven pursuit of private gain would be held accountable to the very end.

With Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also stepping forward to vow that Congress will use its budgetary power to cut off funding for the war, the second Trump administration has plunged into severe chaos just two years into its term.

(Video Reported by Park Eunha, Video Edited by Kim Byeong-jik)

[Anchor]

Let us now connect to Washington to learn more about the atmosphere as vote counting nears its end.

Correspondent Lee Hanseok, could you briefly outline the current seat count for both parties?

[Reporter]

So far, the Democrats have secured 240 seats in the House.

Having comfortably surpassed the 218-seat majority threshold, and having also secured 54 seats to pass the majority mark in the Senate, the vote count from the remaining districts is unlikely to serve as a major variable.

[Anchor]

It appears President Trump acknowledges the election results but intends to push through head-on just as he has been doing?

[Reporter]

A personnel shake-up is practically a political tradition after suffering an election defeat.

Having admitted that they lost because inflation and oil prices surged due to the Iran war, refusing to take disciplinary action against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—who was singled out as the cause of defeat and is targeted by Democrats—suggests that he has no intention of avoiding an all-out war with the Democrats.

It appears to be a desperate last stand driven by the calculation that showing any sign of retreat would drastically accelerate a lame-duck phase. If things continue down this path, it looks to be an uphill battle against a major opposition party holding both congressional investigative and budgetary powers.

The problem is that signs of friction are appearing even within the Trump administration.

Vice President Vance, his closest confidant, effectively rebelled by arguing, contrary to Trump, that they must end the war and focus on prices.

For President Trump, who finds no breathing room either internally or externally, it is truly a cornered situation.

[Anchor]

The Democrats have already declared all-out war, haven't they?

[Reporter]

It is clear they have drawn the sword for a total showdown.

They warn that if their demand to end the war is not accepted, they will slash emergency security budgets for Iran to choke off the administration's funding.

Furthermore, their declaration to halt the pursuit of private gains through power is an expression of their intent to launch comprehensive congressional investigations into suspicions of corruption surrounding the Trump family and his aides.

If this heads toward a hardline standoff, endless congressional hearings could follow over the next two years, and a budget shutdown situation could recur.

[Anchor]

Oil prices fell by around 8% overnight, and big tech and semiconductor stocks dropped, yet the stock market as a whole surged, didn't it?

[Reporter]

As you mentioned, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index declined, the three major indices cheered in unison, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average skyrocketing by over 1,000 points.

Analysis indicates that the market was lifted by a sense of relief that Congress will keep the administration's unilateral tariff bombs and policy unilateralism in check.

International crude prices also tumbled by over 8% as fears of inflation eased amid expectations that the Iran war would end.

However, there are those who are bowing their heads amid all this.

Elon Musk, who served as a cabinet member in the early Trump administration, took the collateral damage of the midterm election results.

Shares of SpaceX and Tesla plummeted by over 5% and 2%, respectively.

This is because Democrats are gearing up for high-intensity congressional investigations into tightening safety regulations for Tesla's autonomous driving and into the attempted merger between Tesla and SpaceX. CNBC evaluated that Elon Musk is the biggest loser of this election.

(On-site Coverage: Park Eunha)