Speaking ahead of a breakfast with GOP senators on Wednesday, President Donald Trump conceded that Tuesday’s elections did not go well for his party, while noting that the group would discuss how the ongoing government shutdown — now the longest in history — affected Republicans’ outcome at the polls. (Watch video above.)
“I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said of the election results. “I’m not sure it was good for anybody.”
Indeed, Republicans had a bad night, losing the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, while a ballot initiative promoted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to fight back against Trump’s mid-decade redistricting effort was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the state.
Still, Trump said Election Day was “interesting” and “we learned a lot.”
“I thought we’d have a discussion after the press leaves about what last night represented and what we should do about it, and also about the shutdown and how that relates to last night,” he said. “I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor, and they say that I wasn’t on the ballot was the biggest factor.”
