Trump Watches Democratic Sweep From White House Residence
On November 3, Donald Trump watched election results from the White House’s private residence rather than joining officials and allies gathered in the East Room. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and aide Natalie Harp were with him; Melania Trump was not, the account said.
As Democratic victories became clear, staff members and some Cabinet officials left the watch party. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present earlier but could not be found later. Shortly before 10 p.m., the House was called for Democrats, and the room had largely emptied. Uneaten food remained on the tables as staff headed to a nearby bar.
One senior official described the mood in the residence as bleak. By about 11 p.m., Trump had fallen quiet while watching Fox News, according to a person close to him. On Truth Social, however, he blamed Fox News for the losses and criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whom he had praised earlier. Trump also wrote that the outcome would have been different had he been on the ballot.
Some White House officials pointed to the Iran war as a factor in the defeat and suggested Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be held responsible. Others faulted Rubio’s State Department. Staffers also discussed possible departures and whether Wiles would remain in her role. One official argued that she had built a broad network across the administration and Republican politics, making it difficult to separate her from those who might be blamed.
Trump’s Election-Night Blame Game Follows Democratic Sweep
The Democratic sweep left the White House watch party nearly empty, while Trump watched from his private residence instead of facing the results alongside officials and allies. On November 3, as the House was called for Democrats, staff departed and uneaten food was left behind.
Trump’s response offered blame rather than an account of why voters rejected Republicans. He faulted Fox News and attacked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, despite having praised Abbott earlier that day. He also claimed the result would have been a landslide if he had been on the ballot.
Officials inside the administration pointed to the Iran war as a factor in the defeat. One said the outcome would have looked different without it, while others suggested Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could face consequences. A donor said Republicans associated with Trump’s foreign policy were vulnerable, too.
The scene also exposed the risks of concentrating political power around the president’s chief of staff. Some staffers wanted Susie Wiles gone, but one official said her influence extended across the administration and Republican political organizations. That breadth could make any attempt to find scapegoats a reckoning with the operation she helped assemble.
Democratic Sweep Leaves Trump Team Facing a Reckoning
Republicans were left to absorb a major congressional defeat on November 3, with Trump watching from upstairs as the White House election-night gathering emptied. The House was called for Democrats shortly before 10 p.m.; by then, many officials had departed, leaving the food untouched.
Trump’s anger focused on Fox News and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. He said the result would have been a landslide if he had been on the ballot, though he had urged supporters in the weeks before the election to treat the contests as a test of his leadership. The losses now put pressure on the people responsible for the party’s political operation.
Some officials said the Iran war contributed to the result and raised the prospect that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be held accountable. Others blamed Rubio’s State Department. The arguments point to a difficult question for Republicans: whether changes to the people managing the administration can address losses that staffers linked to the president’s foreign policy.
Wiles also faces scrutiny, with some staffers discussing who might replace her. But one administration official said she had built relationships throughout the Cabinet, party leadership and campaign organizations, complicating any effort to assign responsibility without confronting the wider team.
Reported by Daily Mail US, Raw Story, The Daily Beast.
