Trump Warns GOP After Election Day Losses, Cites Shutdown and Absence from Ballot
Former President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Republicans following a string of disappointing election results this week, attributing the party’s setbacks to the ongoing government shutdown and his absence from the ballot.
“‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT, according to pollsters,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Tuesday, pointing to internal analyses that suggested both factors played decisive roles in the GOP’s underperformance.
Republicans suffered losses in several key contests on Tuesday, although most defeats occurred in reliably Democratic strongholds. In New York City, socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani secured victory over a rare bipartisan coalition that had coalesced around former Governor Andrew Cuomo, capturing the mayor’s race and sending a clear message about the party’s shifting ideological balance.
Meanwhile, in California, voters approved Proposition 50 — a measure dismantling the state’s 20-year-old independent redistricting commission. The decision effectively hands Democrats the power to redraw congressional maps, potentially adding as many as five new Democratic seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
“It was not expected to be a victory,” Trump said the following morning at a breakfast meeting with GOP senators in Washington. “I don’t think it was good for Republicans. I’m not sure it was good for anybody, but we had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot.”
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won re-election in decisive fashion, defeating Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli 56.2% to 43.2% with 95% of ballots counted as of Wednesday morning. In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger also cruised to victory, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by a margin of 57.5% to 42.3%.
Both results underscored the GOP’s continuing struggle in suburban regions where Trump’s influence remains polarizing. For context, Trump lost Virginia by 5.7 percentage points and New Jersey by 5.9 in the previous year’s presidential election, according to The Washington Times.
In the wake of Mamdani’s win, several House Republicans are reportedly exploring whether the incoming mayor-elect could be blocked from taking office under the Constitution’s “insurrection clause.” The provision, outlined in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, bars from office anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States, or who has provided “aid or comfort” to its enemies.
The effort, first reported by the New York Post, is being spearheaded by the New York Young Republican Club. Its president, Stefano Forte, described Mamdani as an “insurrectionist,” citing the mayor-elect’s past calls to “resist ICE” and his ties to far-left organizations.
“There is a real and legitimate push to see the insurrectionist Zohran Mamdani either a) removed from the ballot or b) removed from office if he is to win on Tuesday,” Forte said.
House Republicans are now weighing whether Congress could invoke or legislate enforcement of the clause — an idea that mirrors legal arguments once used against Trump himself. Last year, officials in Colorado attempted to remove Trump from the state’s ballot under the same amendment, a move the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately blocked, ruling that only Congress holds the constitutional authority to enforce Section 3.
That decision has emboldened some GOP lawmakers, who now believe the Court effectively handed enforcement power to the legislative branch. According to two congressional aides, Republican leaders are considering a post-election vote declaring Mamdani ineligible to hold office — a measure that would face substantial procedural obstacles, a likely filibuster in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and almost certain judicial challenges.
Despite Tuesday’s losses, Trump’s comments suggest he remains confident in his role as the party’s central figure — even as he warns Republicans that structural and strategic missteps could cost them dearly in 2026.
