Leavitt Urges Republicans to Learn From Democrats’ Midterm Win

Leavitt said Democrats succeeded in the midterms by persuading voters that their lives could improve, and argued Republicans should adopt a similar approach with a new leader at the top of the ticket. Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections. President Donald Trump was not on the ballot, she noted, and cannot lead the party on future tickets.

After Midterm Defeat, Leavitt Blames Democrats’ Messaging and Biden

Republicans lost the House and Senate, but Leavitt’s response on Fox News offered little reckoning with the party’s own record: she pointed to inflation inherited from Joe Biden and urged Republicans to improve their cost-of-living message. Biden has been out of office since January 2025, and inflation had already fallen to 3% by then, below its current level, the account noted.

Leavitt also said Democrats had made voters feel their lives would improve and urged Republicans to imitate that approach with a new figure at the top of the ticket. Her remarks acknowledge what the election showed: voters respond to promises about their economic struggles, not simply claims about who caused them.

She criticized Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia for saying Trump and his family should prepare for legal scrutiny, describing Democrats as focused on retaliation and obstruction. Leavitt praised another Democrat, James Talarico, for expressing a willingness to work with Trump. She said cooperation was desirable, though she doubted it would happen.

The defeat followed a campaign in which Trump rarely discussed the cost-of-living crisis, and he had dismissed affordability concerns as a Democratic “con job.” Leavitt’s advice to stay focused on prices cannot substitute for confronting the gap between the administration’s claims and voters’ experience. She said the party needs a new standard-bearer who can speak to people’s challenges and offer hope.

Democrats Won by Borrowing Trump’s Voter-First Playbook

Democrats won both chambers of Congress by making voters believe their lives could improve, Karoline Leavitt said. Her warning to Republicans after Tuesday’s defeat was direct: the party needs a new leader who can reach people struggling with affordability and carry forward the voter-focused approach Donald Trump brought to the party.

Leavitt said Trump was not on the ballot and will not lead the Republican ticket again. She urged the party to find someone who can speak to voters’ difficulties and offer promise. Democrats, she said, did that effectively in the midterms, drawing people to vote by promising to make their lives better.

She also argued that Republicans must keep the economy and living costs at the center of their message, blaming the inflation crisis on the Biden administration and saying Trump had brought inflation down. The election makes clear that Republicans must persuade voters their policies will ease costs, rather than assume they will be credited for their claims.

Leavitt praised James Talarico for saying he wanted to work with Trump, but questioned whether cooperation was likely after Rep. Robert Garcia warned Trump and his family to prepare for legal action. She called Garcia’s stance a sign of a Democratic focus on retribution and obstruction. She also praised the prospect of bipartisan work where possible, while saying she did not expect much of it.