The Republican missteps that led to the party losing control of Congress.
asserted
party → lead → Congress
Musk faces scrutiny from Democrats in Texas.
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Musk → face → Texas
And Trump is considering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s position, sources say.
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sources → consider → position
Inside the miscalculations that cost Trump control of Congress
A day after Democrats won back control of Congress, President Donald Trump largely skirted talk about the Republican Party’s election night performance.
asserted
Trump → cost → performance
He instead boasted about the White House ballroom construction — though when asked, said he didn’t regret starting a war in Iran.
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he → boast → Iran
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day.
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This → start → day
Still, the GOP is reeling.
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GOP → reel → ?
The president’s party almost always loses ground in midterms, but Trump’s policies in the past two years — from tariffs, cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, as well as Iran — offered few promising angles for reversing that curse.
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policies → lose → curse
NBC News spoke to more than 50 people close to the Trump campaign who detailed the plans and missteps that set the stage for a shocking upheaval.
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that → speak → upheaval
Despite bleak poll findings in late August that showed voters were most concerned about the economy, Trump took to the campaign trail with a familiar and fateful message: “Pretend I’m on the ballot.”
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I → show → ballot
There was no course correction on policy, no bow to the frustrations voters felt.
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voters → be → frustrations
And in primary contests nationwide, Trump threw his support behind candidates who would end up losing.
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who → throw → candidates
He urged South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham to run for a full term despite questions about her qualifications.
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He → urge → qualifications
And he endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate, setting off a “total, major freakout,” one Republican said.
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Republican → endorse → freakout
As Republicans pointed fingers at one another, Democrats coalesced around their nominees.
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Democrats → point → nominees
More election news:
- Mississippi’s Senate race is headed to an extended vote count, with less than 100 votes separating Democrat Scott Colom and GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
- See the 2026 blue wave in three maps.
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votes → head → maps
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said he won’t stay on as Republican leader in the new Congress.
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he → say → Congress
Republicans redrew more than a dozen districts in an aggressive attempt to shore up their House majority.
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Republicans → redrew → majority
But Democrats may actually come out ahead.
uncertain
Democrats → come → ?
- For subscribers: Even before the election, Trump’s White House was quietly preparing for Democratic investigations.
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House → prepare → investigations
- For subscribers: Vice President JD Vance began to put some distance between himself and Trump as he weighs whether to run for the White House in 2028.
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he → begin → 2028
- For subscribers: Speaking of 2028, new Democratic governors and senators will soon take over in five of the six states that lead the party’s presidential primary calendar — and those leaders’ endorsements could make all the difference.
uncertain
endorsements → speak → difference
One of Trump’s biggest legacies will be his judicial appointments, but he’ll likely struggle in the final years of his term to appoint new judges — including any potential Supreme Court nominee.
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he → struggle → nominee
Democrats won on affordability.
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Democrats → win → affordability
What happens next?
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What → happen → ?
After more than 80% of midterm voters said they were worried about the price of necessities, a “blue tsunami” came through for Democrats who pledged to make life more affordable.
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life → say → Democrats
Now comes the daunting task of turning this promise into a reality.
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task → come → reality
Congressional Democrats will have several policies they can pursue to push down consumer costs — assuming they make it past Trump, who has the power to veto any legislation Congress passes.
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Congress → have → legislation
Incoming leaders, including Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and Texas’ James Talarico, and party mainstays, like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, have pushed ideas such as Medicare for All, free preschool and reversing Republican cuts to healthcare.
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leaders → include → healthcare
But Trump’s own policies — and Republicans’ lackluster midterm results — serve as a cautionary tale for Democrats as they attempt to address affordability.
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they → serve → affordability
Elon Musk faces a new crop of Democratic lawmakers
In recent years, Elon Musk has moved his home and businesses, SpaceX and Tesla, from California to Texas in a bid to avoid Democratic regulators and left-wing policies.
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Musk → face → regulators
Now, he’s surrounded again, despite $168 million worth of campaign donations to Republicans.
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he → surround → Republicans
Already, incoming Texas Attorney General Nathan Johnson, a Democrat, has pledged to investigate the world’s richest man.
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Johnson → pledge → man
“He’s demonstrated his interest in pay-to-play,” Johnson said in an interview with NBC News.
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Johnson → demonstrate → News
“He’s demonstrated interest in exerting control over public power through his own wealth and his own commercial interests.”
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He → demonstrate → wealth
Democrats Gina Hinojosa, the projected winner in the governor’s race, and James Talarico, who won a Senate seat, also called out Musk on the campaign trail.
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who → project → trail
The attitude in Texas may prove to be a dress rehearsal of what awaits him in Washington next year.
uncertain
what → prove → Washington
The state Attorney General’s Office has been at the forefront of nationwide legal fights in line with the Trump administration or challenging Democratic policies.
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Office → challenge → policies
That will end in January.
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That → end → January
Fury over Republicans’ handling of education — from private school vouchers and book bans to crackdowns on academic freedom on college campuses — helped fuel Democratic sweeps in the state, advocates say.
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advocates → fuel → state
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
