EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she hoped the new US Congress would support Ukraine and ramp up “pressure on Russia”.

Kallas added that Europe and the United States “are much stronger together” in pushing Moscow to end its war.

The official White House account has posted a picture of Trump with the message: “PSA: TRUMP IS STILL YOUR PRESIDENT.”

“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the caption reads.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. https://t.co/Q1ZGYM7idV

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 4, 2026

Trump himself has not posted on Truth Social for more than nine hours, though he spoke to several news outlets by phone overnight.

He said he would accept the results and work with Democrats, while blaming Republican candidates for the losses and acknowledging that the Iran war played a part.

We may be waiting several days for a winner in Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith remain separated by just dozens of votes.

Colom’s campaign estimates that 10,000–15,000 provisional ballots remain uncounted, according to Mississippi Today.

CNN CNN

Eligible postal ballots can arrive until Tuesday 10 November.

That doesn’t mean the race cannot be called sooner, but with margins this tight (there’s currently less than 50 votes between the candidates), the outstanding votes could prove decisive.

Alaska could keep us waiting longer still.

Republican senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola remain in a tight race, with thousands of ballots outstanding.

CNN CNN

If neither wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, voters’ preferences will be redistributed under Alaska’s ranked-choice system.

That count is scheduled for 18 November, so a winner may not emerge for another fortnight.

One notable message for Texas Democratic senator-elect James Talarico came from outgoing Republican senator John Cornyn, whose seat he will take.

“The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate,” Cornyn wrote on X.

He also offered to help with the transition.

The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate.

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) November 4, 2026

Cornyn lost the Republican primary to Trump-backed Ken Paxton, who then lost to Talarico.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that the sweeping victory for Democrats in the midterm elections represented an opportunity for the world to “unite” around resolving cost-of-living issues.

“President Trump has accepted the results, and I feel the world has an opportunity now to unite around the issue that is affecting us all, and that’s the cost of living,” Burnham told reporters.

Burnham added that prices could not be reduced until the US war in Iran “is resolved”.

Congress wasn’t the only thing on the ballot. Idaho voters were also asked to choose a state firearm from six options.

With almost 90% of votes counted, the Winchester Model 1873 (nicknamed the “Gun that Won the West”) was leading.

The winner still needs approval from elected officials before becoming an official emblem. Ten states already have one.

Republican Jason Monks, who sponsored the measure, told AP it offered voters something “more cheerful” to debate.

Read more here.

As Republicans watched the results come in, some White House staff were dining on takeaway food from the Cheesecake Factory, AFP has reported.

The choice followed Obama’s joke that Trump’s White House renovations were “looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory”.

A difficult evening, but apparently nobody was abandoning that particular culture war.

Many arriving at James Talarico’s watch party in Austin had prepared for a long night. Instead, they watched Democrats win both a Senate seat and the governorship, with each result prompting roars from the crowd.

Our reporter Hannah McCarthy was there as supporters tried to take it all in.

“It honestly feels like a fever dream,” 29-year-old Francisco Xavier Casas told her.

“We have a Governor Gina Hinojosa and a Senator James Talarico, and I’m on the verge of tears to be honest.”

Read Hannah McCarthy’s full reporting from Texas here.

Democrats have won Congress, but will they work with the man in the White House?

Asked by CNN whether he would reach out to Trump, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries would not speculate about his future relationship with the Republican president, telling CNN’s Manu Raju, ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.’ https://t.co/ORa1mHFDTV

— CNN (@CNN) November 4, 2026

Jeffries, who is in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House, said Democrats remained focused on “driving down the high cost of living and fighting for an affordable America”.

He added that they were willing to work across party lines “where possible to deliver real results”.

Kamala Harris has kept her reaction considerably shorter than Trump’s.

The former vice president shared a four-second clip of herself exclaiming “Hallelujah!” after it was confirmed that Democrats would win control of both chambers of Congress.

The footage was from a campaign event for Georgia senator Jon Ossoff, who won re-election.

https://t.co/x2f0764UTL

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 4, 2026

Here’s a stat from CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski that puts the Democrats’ win in Kansas into perspective: the state’s last Democratic senator was born in 1879.

That was George McGill, who left office in 1939. His party had not won a Senate election in Kansas since 1932.

The last Democratic senator from Kansas was born in 1879.

— Andrew Kaczynski (@KFILE) November 4, 2026

McGill died in 1963 at the age of 84.

Now, pastor Adam Hamilton has defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, ending that 94-year electoral drought in a state Trump carried by more than 16 percentage points just two years ago.

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Trump himself seemed in relatively sanguine form in some of his comments to media outlets earlier this morning, saying he’d work with Democrats where possible and that he had no problem accepting the election results. 

He’s also been lashing out on social media, however – threatening to veto legislation at will, targeting conservative broadcaster Fox News and claiming he’d have won “IN A LANDSLIDE” had his name been on the ballot. 

So which Trump are we likely to see more of in the course of the rest of his presidency? 

Marion McKeone, who’s been writing about US politics for almost two decades (currently, luckily for us, for The Journal) has just filed her analysis on developments overnight. 

Marion writes: 

Authorised funding for the war in Iran will run out in December, which means Trump is likely to resume hostilities immediately after the midterms.

Since June, an uneasy stasis has prevailed. Talks have stalled, and while both sides have continued to exchange strikes, the US continues to enforce a naval blockade that is further crippling Iran’s already devastated economy, while Iran continues to claim control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier this week, Trump threatened to end a status quo that has led to a sclerotic global economy by targeting Pickax Mountain, the site of a key Iranian nuclear facility. Military experts are sceptical that the US’s most powerful conventional munition – the GBU-57 MOP – could penetrate the 300-foot-deep granite exoskeleton beneath which the facility is believed to operate. Trump claimed that destroying the nuclear facilities beneath Pickax is ‘not a big deal’.

It’s likewise unclear whether he’ll continue his shift towards resolving the Russian war on Ukraine in Putin’s favour, by denying Ukraine vital intelligence support and military aid. However, the chances of Senate and House Republicans crossing the aisle in support of Ukraine are high, should Trump attempt to manoeuvre their defeat or surrender by withholding support.

You can read Marion’s full article here. 

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has claimed the global far-right is “unravelling” as he celebrated the Democrat victory.

“It happened in Brazil. It just happened in the US. And it will soon happen in Spain,” said Sanchez.

The far-right wave of his rivals is “no longer growing, it is unravelling,” he added.

The decisive victory by Democrats came days after the unexpected reelection of the left-wing Luis Inacio Lula da Silva as Brazil’s president.

With less than four weeks to Spain’s own vote, however, polls point to a potential loss for Sanchez — one of Europe’s last remaining socialist leaders — against the main conservative Popular Party.

It is predicted to win the most seats but fall short of a majority, meaning the far-right Vox party could become Spain’s kingmakers.

The state of Iowa’s next senator has already represented his country on a rather different stage.

Democrat Josh Turek, who defeated Republican Ashley Hinson, is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair basketball.

According to local reporting, Turek attacked Hinson over allegations that she increased her wealth while in Congress and emphasised her backing from Trump.

The Hinson campaign targeted her opponent’s record of missing votes as a state legislator and tried to tie him to more progressive Democrats, but it wasn’t enough to stop Turek from winning.

He managed to flip a Senate seat in a state where Trump won in all three of his presidential campaigns.

Here are some highlights of Turek playing at the 2016 Paralympic wheelchair basketball final against Spain (he’s the guy wearing the number 4 jersey on the US team):

Beyond the change in party control, several results have broken new ground:

Keisha Lance Bottoms, elected governor of Georgia, will become the first Black woman to lead a US state.

Deb Haaland, elected governor of New Mexico, will become the first Native American woman to hold that position.

Peggy Flanagan, elected in Minnesota, will become the first Native American woman in the Senate.

They join Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, who will become the first Muslim US senator.

Read more here.

Here’s CNN’s latest picture of the House of Representatives:

CNN CNN

And the Senate, where Democrats have secured control, but two races remain too close to call:

CNN CNN

Mississippi is extraordinarily tight for a traditionally Republican state.

In CNN’s latest figures supplied, Democrat Scott Colom had 462,821 votes to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith’s 462,778: a gap of just 43 votes, with an estimated 96% counted.

Both round to 48.9%, with independent Ty Pinkins on 2.1%.

In Alaska, Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan led Democrat Mary Peltola by 1,677 votes, or 48.5% to 47.7%, with an estimated 72% counted.

With votes still outstanding, neither lead amounts to a win yet.

Read more here.

On this morning’s The News Agents, Lewis Goodall spoke to a man leaving Greg Abbott’s election watch party in downtown Austin.

The voter, who described himself as a Hispanic conservative, was offering a measured assessment of the Republican defeat when someone in the background shouted “fuck this town” and “Talarico is queer”.

“Come on now, guys,” Goodall responded.

Goodall also spoke to jubilant Americans celebrating the results, capturing the very different moods in the Texas capital.

Some reactions from international figures have started pouring in.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the results could reshape international relations.

“I do think that this is going to introduce a new era in world relations,” he told reporters after voting in South Africa’s municipal elections.

JUST IN: 🇿🇦🇺🇸 South African President Ramaphosa says US midterm election results mark a "new era in world relations."

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) November 4, 2026

Relations between South Africa and the US have been rocky at best under Trump, including US aid and trade restrictions.

Trump has also banned South Africa from taking part in an upcoming G20 summit.

In Germany, CDU foreign affairs politician Norbert Röttgen told Deutschlandfunk that the Democratic victories demonstrated the resilience of American democracy and offered an opportunity for Europe on Ukraine.

Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski reposted his earlier Musk jibe: “See, big man, politics is harder than you thought.”

https://t.co/r6h2B5WfWa

— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) November 4, 2026

Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential hopeful, has welcomed Democratic control of Congress but urged the party to go further.

“Democrats will now control the House and Senate and be able to hold Trump accountable. That’s great,” Sanders posted.

“At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, we must do more. We must aggressively fight for working families.

“No more excuses.”

Democrats will now control the House and Senate and be able to hold Trump accountable. That's great. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, we must do more. We must aggressively fight for working families. No more excuses.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 4, 2026

Democrat Brendan Boyle, whose father Francis emigrated from Glencolmcille in Co Donegal, has been re-elected in Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District.

Boyle is currently the most senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

His party’s return to the majority puts him in line to potentially chair the panel, although that appointment has yet to be confirmed.

Thank you to the voters of #PA2 for re-electing me by a large margin. It’s the honor of a lifetime to get to represent the city where I was born, raised, and still live. Proud to have donated and raised $1 million this cycle to support Democratic candidates, both here in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation. I am optimistic that tonight we will win back control of the US House and Senate. 🌊

— Congressman Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) November 4, 2026

He defeated Republican challenger Jessica Arriaga in the Philadelphia seat.

The Democratic wave didn’t reach everywhere, although some Republican wins were uncomfortably close.

• Florida: Ashley Moody held her Senate seat against Democrat Angie Nixon, leading by around three percentage points with almost all votes counted
• Louisiana: Republican Julia Letlow defeated Democrat Jamie Davis, with the latest count putting them at roughly 51% to 49%
• Nebraska: Pete Ricketts saw off independent Dan Osborn, with around 50% against 44% in the latest count

These aren’t the final margins, but all three races have been called for Republicans.

Do you know what “gubernatorial” means? Neither did I, but after this morning I’m going to start dropping it into conversation.

It means ‘relating to a governor’, the person who leads a US state, rather than representing it in Congress.

Democrats have flipped several of those jobs too, including Texas, where Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott, and Ohio, where Amy Acton beat Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy.

So, a good night for Democrats, gubernatorially speaking.

Donald Trump has said he has learned a lot from the result of the US midterms, which saw his party make brutal losses across races for Congress in the House and the Senate.

The president had claimed on Tuesday that the reason for defeat was that he was not on the ballot.

However, he said on a phone call with Politico journalist Dasha Burns, which was broadcast live on air, that he is willing to work with the Democrats.

“I don’t want to be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything. I want to see things happen too, so I’ve already spoken to certain leaders of the Democrat party,” he said.

Asked whether he’d consider doing an immigration deal with them, Trump said: “I’d consider doing whatever I think is appropriate and good for the country.”

Read more here.

We’ve spent a lot of time looking at maps this morning. Let’s give the people posting through it a turn.

A few more reactions to a very long night for Republicans:

Me following the US elections from Ireland https://t.co/SJQD0rYqPq

— Fiona (@FionaSmall) November 3, 2026

i think zohran mamdani getting elected as nyc mayor reversed whatever harambe dying did to the universe

— ⛧°.⋆jess🦇༻⋆.°☾⛧ (@jessimikuh) November 4, 2026

gave 14 years of my life to this website just for days like this

— Natalie Sportelli (@N_Sportelli) November 4, 2026

Kansas get ready to learn what a polycule is

— Lukas Battle (@lukasbattle) November 4, 2026

Election result celebrations have spilled onto the streets in Texas, where Democrats pulled off major wins in the Senate and governor’s races.

Here’s the scene in Austin:

Austin Texas sounds like an Eastern European city that just overthrew a dictator https://t.co/7q492iqGwh

— Conor Rogers (@conorjrogers) November 4, 2026

Control of Congress has been called, but the final numbers are still taking shape.

Here’s The New York Times’ latest forecast for the Senate:

NYT NYT

And its forecast for the House of Representatives:

NYT NYT

Ireland got a mention on Fox News during their midterm election coverage from presenter Sean Hannity, who joked that he was not moving here.

“I wish it was two years ago, and I can announce that I’m not moving to Ireland,” Hannity said.

Hannity: I wish it was two years ago. I’m not moving to Ireland. https://t.co/z3RdNrlFwN

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 4, 2026

Deputy Editor Christine Bohan reports: Indefatigable NBC election wonk Steve Kornacki just said that the Democrats could be looking at flipping 9 Senate seats if the trends in the final counts continue (in other words, if Alaska and Mississippi also go to Democrat candidates).

While a lot has to fall their way for that to happen, they already have 7 – which is already more than even the most optimistic analyses had in recent days.

NBC NBC

The Democratic Socialists of America is celebrating what it says are more than 50 electoral victories overnight.

“Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the US,” the organisation posted.

Its members include New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose election last year was a major breakthrough for the American left.

“The job’s not done, though,” the DSA added. “Tomorrow, we continue organising, fighting, and winning for the working class!”

Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the U.S. Workers deserve more and a reality where all of us live with dignity and hope is closer than we think. The job's not done, though. Tomorrow, we continue organizing, fighting, and winning for the working class!

— DSA (@DemSocialists) November 4, 2026

Elon Musk has offered his verdict after donating a staggering $446 million (€398.9 million) to Republicans during the election cycle, according to Business Insider.

“Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time,” he posted on X.

Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time 🤷‍♂️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2026

He also wrote: “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now”.

Musk helped fund Trump’s return to the White House and led his DOGE cost-cutting drive. Despite a public falling-out, he continued backing Republicans.

Their defeats included major losses in Texas, where Musk lives and where Tesla and SpaceX are headquartered.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has claimed victory in a high-profile battle for Michigan’s Senate seat over Mike Rogers in the critical swing state.

He is the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit. “I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.”

A medical doctor educated at Columbia, the 42-year-old former health official campaigned on a platform of affordability, sensible foreign policy and lower healthcare costs.

He is an outspoken critic of the US and Israel’s war in Iran. His own critics, who include US President Donald Trump, have hit out at his Muslim background. Trump repeatedly labelled El-Sayed a “jihadist”.

Read more here.

Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed had a tense exchange with Sky News correspondent James Matthews on election day, telling him he wanted “zero” votes from the UK.

Matthews questioned why he would not answer questions, pointing to the election’s international significance.

Michigan's Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed confronted @jamesmatthewsky, telling him he wouldn't answer his questions as he wants "zero" votes in the UK. Watch the heated exchange between the two. Watch our live coverage of the US midterms➡️ https://t.co/hrELyhg17W

— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 3, 2026

“I’ve answered all the questions that I care to answer for viewers in the United Kingdom,” El-Sayed said, asking Matthews to “stop chasing me around”.

El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan race, with that victory confirmed in the past few minutes. 

Deputy Editor Christine Bohan reports: This gives an indication about just how big these results are for the Democrats: In Mississippi, the Democratic candidate for the Senate is currently ahead of the Republican by 28 votes, with almost all the votes counted.

The tiniest of margins – but a deeply unexpected result in a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic senator since 1989, and which wasn’t considered a likely contender for the Democrats to wrestle back from the Republicans.

Uhhhh, Scott Colom leads in Mississippi by 28 votes. https://t.co/Rb81ECzCm1

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 4, 2026

Republicans have had a rough night at the ballot box, and the morning scroll isn’t offering much respite.

A few of the posts doing the rounds on X as people react to the results:

Pete Hegseth wanted people to watch a public execution, well they're seeing it tonight.

— Covie (@covie_93) November 4, 2026

Trump got regime change in Texas before Iran

— Jon Aguiar (@JonAguiar) November 4, 2026

Musk hasn't tweeted in hours.

— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) November 4, 2026

my god…….im HOPEscrolling

— Seven Rasmussen (@toomanyspectra) November 4, 2026

Speaking to Fox News late on Tuesday night, Trump slammed the Republican Party for their losses, but said that he would accept the results of the midterm elections.

“Yeah, sure I’ll accept them. Why wouldn’t I?”

Q: You're going to accept all of these races, right? Trump: Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I? https://t.co/eSwL7UJik2

— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) November 4, 2026

Democrat Amy Acton has won the Ohio governor’s race, defeating billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, according to AP projections.

Governors lead individual US states, overseeing their administrations and signing or vetoing state laws, and these elections are separate from the races for Congress.

The doctor and former state health director will become Ohio’s first elected female governor.

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Ramaswamy, who had Trump’s backing, faced widespread criticism over a campaign ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother attacking her daughter’s fitness for office.

Acton campaigned on affordability, including lower healthcare and energy costs.

Her victory adds to Democratic gains in Ohio, where Sherrod Brown also defeated Republican Jon Husted in the Senate race.

Read more here.

Democrats are projected to control both chambers of Congress, but counting continues to determine the size of their majorities.

Here’s CNN’s latest Senate map, showing which seats have been called and where results remain outstanding:

CNN CNN

And here’s the picture in the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats were up for election:

CNN CNN

These are projections rather than certified final results. We’ll keep across the outstanding races for you as more calls come in.

Texas has delivered two of the night’s biggest upsets.

As The Atlantic put it: “For decades, Texas has been the foundation of the Republican Electoral College map, holding up the red bloc of midwestern and southern states like a pedestal.”

Despite this, former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico defeated Trump-backed attorney general Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win a US Senate race in the state since 1988.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa also unseated Republican governor Greg Abbott, becoming Texas’s first Latina governor.

Reporter Hannah McCarthy is in Austin, where Talarico supporters have been celebrating a breakthrough after years of Democratic disappointments in the state.

Read our report from Texas here.

Reacting to brutal losses for his party across races for Congress in the House and the Senate, US President Donald Trump has claimed the reason for defeat was because he was not on the ballot.

Ignoring his appearances at various rallies in which he implored his supporters to vote as if he was on the ballot, Trump posted online to remind people he was not.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Dismissing speculation about whether he would repeat his refusal to accept his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden, Trump later took a conciliatory tone with the New York Times.

“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” he told The New York Times. “We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out.”

Trump later posting a picture of his trademark red MAGA baseball hat with the single word: “VETO.”

Read more on Trump’s reaction here.

Control of Congress has been called, but there’s still plenty to settle.

Michigan’s Senate race remains one to watch, with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed facing Republican Mike Rogers.

Senate contests in Alaska and Nebraska also remain unresolved.

In the House, dozens of races are still outstanding, including contests in California, Arizona and Washington.

We know which way the tide has turned, but those seats will help determine how comfortable the Democratic majority will be.

Here’s the latest picture from ABC News, whose results pages were updated at around 6am Irish time:

• House of Representatives: Democrats 231 seats, Republicans 168, with 36 still outstanding. A majority requires 218.
• Senate: Democrats and their aligned independents account for 53 seats, against 42 Republicans, with five still unresolved.

ABC News ABC News

Those aren’t final totals, but Democrats have already secured enough seats to control both chambers.

Among the Senate gains for Democrats are Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa and Maine, many of which strongly supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Good morning from The Journal, coming to you bright and early to take you through the US midterm results over the next few hours.

If you’re just waking up, it’s been a blue wave, and that’s not overselling it: Democrats are projected to take both the House and Senate, with victories stretching into many Republican strongholds.

Donald Trump’s response? Republicans would have won “IN A LANDSLIDE” if he’d been on the ballot.

We’ll bring you the outstanding results, reaction and what it all means for the remaining two years of his presidency.

Coffee first.