President Trump’s message on last night’s midterms

Midterm elections are usually tough going for whichever party controls the White House. Over the previous 21 midterms, the president’s party has lost an average of four seats in the Senate. Only four times in that span has the president’s party gained seats in Congress’ upper chamber.

Last night, President Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party defied that history and expanded their Senate majority. Here are three key takeaways:

The President’s message resonates across the heartland. He held 30 rallies in the past 60 days, and “of the 11 candidates we campaigned with during the last week, nine won last night,” President Trump said today.
Across the country, in both Senate and House races, candidates who excelled embraced conservative messages of low taxes, low regulations, low crime, strong borders, and great judges. Candidates who struggled—including some Republicans—tried to distance themselves from these themes.
America’s economy is booming, and voters in working-class communities are taking notice. Record job growth, historically low unemployment, the return of American manufacturing, and renegotiated trade deals earned Republicans strong support everywhere from Florida to Ohio to North Dakota.

What’s next? President Trump made his priority clear in a press conference from the White House today. “Now is the time for members of both parties to join together, put partisanship aside, and keep the American economic miracle going strong,” he said, citing infrastructure, trade, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs as three areas he believes Democrats may want to work with Republicans.

Watch President Trump’s statement on last night’s midterm results

More: The President says put the American people first, not partisan politics

President Trump and the free press

President Trump’s unprecedented media access reveals just how important transparency is to this Administration’s success.

During today’s press conference, President Trump took 68 questions—from 35 different reporters. By contrast, former President Obama took 22 questions from 10 reporters during his press conference following the 2010 midterm elections.

CBS’ Major Garrett put it crisply: “There is more access to this president than Obama . . . We see him and interact with him and punch in questions with far more frequency.” ABC News Political Director Rick Klein agrees, saying President Trump is “above and beyond, far and away more accessible” than our previous two presidents.