Trump acknowledges Iran role in Democratic sweep

"And after a ‌couple ⁠of months of vetoes, they'll call, and they'll say, 'How do we get this stuff done? ' And we'll work together. "Trump ​said the ​war ⁠in Iran had weighed on Republican candidates, even as voters ​backed his handling of it.

"I ​think ⁠a part of it was Iran, but at the same time people understood ⁠the ​importance of what I've ​done with Iran," he said. "Buckle up"Trump posted later that he was going to "become a political pundit" and give the reasons why Republicans lost.

First in his crosshairs was Greg Abbott, the loyal Texas governor unseated by Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Trump said that if Abbott hadn't become a "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) "he wouldn't have lost".

Many of them Trump had hand-picked and traveled across the country to rally support for – even lavishing praise, in one case, on the "ass" of Republican Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted. But the White House also called the quality of the Republicans into question.

"Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves," a White House official said. Read:Democrats capture Congress with in sweeping setback for Trump.

Earlier, there was a bunker mentality in the White House as Trump and his top cabinet members watched the bruising results come in at a reception in the lavish East Room.

Some White House staffers dined on take-out from US chain restaurant The Cheesecake Factory – a dig at Democratic former president Barack Obama, who had said Trump's White House renovations were "looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory".

The question now is how Trump will react to being a lame duck president for the last two years of his second term, with Democrats in control of both the House and Senate. The White House indicated that Trump is unlikely to go quietly.

Iran is on his mind and there is widespread speculation that the president will resume large-scale military action against Tehran – doubling down on a war that it is now clear voters loathed.

"Anyone who voted Democrat today is going to have a serious case of buyer's remorse when gas prices come down quickly when the Iran conflict is solved but they're still stuck with a list of liberal extremist Democrats," the White House official said. The White House also gave a dark hint of retribution against his political enemies.

"A final note here: regardless of how today plays out, President Trump's resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger. Buckle up. "