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This Is How Trump Reacted To The Results Of The Midterms

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After Election Day came to a close, Donald Trump's response to the 2018 midterm results on Twitter called them a "tremendous success." While Trump's Republican party will likely retain control of the Senate, the Democrats look poised to win the House of Representatives, as CNN, NBC, and ABC all reported. This means that Tuesday's races were not necessarily a resounding success for conservatives.

As Vox described, Democrats needed to gain 24 seats to take control of the House of Representatives. By 11 p.m. on election night, they were projected to win at least that amount. In obtaining control of the House for the first time in eight years, Democrats will be able to offer a check on Trump and his Republican Party's legislative agenda, as well as pursue their own legislative initiatives. As Politico noted, with its House majority, the Democratic party also now has subpoena power over the Trump administration, and could demand documents and information that Trump has declined to share before, like his tax returns.

Though a Democratic House majority could likely present challenges for Trump, the president has seemingly chosen to characterize the midterm results as a success. In addition to the aforementioned presidential tweet, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also told Politico that the midterm results represented a victory for Trump. “It’s a huge moment, a huge victory for the president,” she said to Politico when discussing the notion that Republicans will likely retain the Senate majority.

The press secretary also commended Trump for his work campaigning for Republican candidates prior to the midterms. "Most of the candidates the president went and campaigned for are doing well," she told Politico.

For their part, the Democrats are celebrating their newfound majority in the House. Nancy Pelosi, the California representative who has a shot at once again becoming speaker of the House, gave a victory speech on Tuesday night that echoed these sentiments. As Pelosi said (as reported by CNBC):

Tomorrow will be a new day in America. ... Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans. It’s about restoring the Constitution’s checks and balances to the Trump administration.

CNBC also reported that, in her speech, Pelosi stressed that it was important for Congress to work together going forward. "A Democratic Congress will work for solutions that bring us together. Because we have all had enough of division," she said.

It remains to be seen what specific initiatives Democrats will seek to pursue with their newfound majority. As Vox noted, the party already has 50 subpoena requests related to everything from the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria to Brett Kavanaugh's testimony that it has said it plans to pursue in January. Moreover, Pelosi previously indicated that, with a majority, Democrats would endeavor to pass legislation related to strengthening gun control measures, creating protections for young, undocumented immigrants, and reducing drug prices, among other things, as CNBC described.

Overall, time will tell how things in Washington will unfold as Democrats settle into their role as the majority party in the House. Many will likely be watching to see whether Trump will continue to characterize the 2018 midterms as a success as time goes on — or if he will change his stance once he experiences governing with a split Congress.