Trump Says Shutdown Was ‘Negative’ Factor For GOP In Elections

President Donald Trump told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that the shutdown negatively affected the party’s performance on election night.

Trump gathered Congressional Republicans for breakfast at the White House to discuss the results of the election and eliminating the filibuster, The Hill reported. The president reacted to the election night results, in which Democrats overperformed and won major victories, including the New York City mayoral race, the Virginia governor’s race, the Virginia attorney general race and the New Jersey governor’s race.

“Last night, it was not expected to be a victory, it was very Democrat areas. But I don’t think it was good for Republicans. I don’t think it was good — I’m not sure it was good for anybody,” the president said. “But we had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot and we’re going to talk about that.”

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak as Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (L) (R-WY) and Vice President JD Vance (2R) applaud during a breakfast meeting with Senate Republicans in the State Dining Room of the White House on November 5, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump told Senate Republicans that they would have a conversation about the election and what it represented for the party.

“I think, if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor. Negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor,” the president said, adding that he was told his lack of presence on the ballot was also a problem.

Read the full article here