Trump concedes Republican election losses, blames government shutdown and pushes to end filibuster
President Trump admitted Democratic victories in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia were a setback, blaming the government shutdown and urging Republicans to eliminate the Senate filibuster.
November 5, 2025 - 02:02 PM ET • 3 min read
President Donald Trump conceded on Wednesday that recent Democratic electoral victories across the country were a significant setback for the Republican Party, attributing the losses primarily to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with Republican senators at the White House, the President acknowledged the results from Tuesday's local elections (which included a historic Democratic sweep in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia) were disappointing.
"Last night, it was, you know, not expected to be a victory, it was very Democrat areas, but I don't think it was good for Republicans," Trump said. He added that the party "had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot."
The Democratic sweep included the election of Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of New York, alongside gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats celebrated the results, with former President Barack Obama noting the future looked "a little bit brighter" and Senator Elizabeth Warren arguing the wins showed success when fighting for "bold policies." Many Democrats framed the results as a direct public rebuke to the Trump administration.
Trump pointed to two main factors for the electoral reversal. The first was the prolonged federal government shutdown, which is currently the longest in U.S. history.
"If you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor," Trump stated. He also noted that the second factor cited by pollsters was the fact that he was not personally on the ballot.
While acknowledging the negative impact of the shutdown on his party's image, Trump maintained that the situation was caused by the opposition. He blamed "radical Democrats" for refusing to reach a budget agreement, calling them "kamikaze pilots." Trump also claimed the shutdown was negatively affecting the stock market, airlines, and food benefits for low-income Americans.
Following the defeats, Trump pressured Republican senators to take immediate action to prevent future losses. He urged his party to eliminate the Senate filibuster, the procedural rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation.
Trump stressed that Republicans must "do what they have to do" to ensure the party can govern effectively. He had previously made a reference to the Democratic victories on Truth Social before his meeting with senators.
The President's comments marked an unusually reflective tone, as he admitted that the results in key states were not what the party had hoped for. "It was a night interesting and we learned a lot," he reiterated.