Trump claims "huge success" despite Democratic House takeover

Trump White House was shaken Tuesday night by a democratic takeover of the House of Representatives – but the president described the election results as victory, in part because of the GOP's success in defending its majority in the Senate.

"Great success tonight, thank you all!" Trump tweeted shortly after 11pm

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A day that began in the midst of predictions about major democratic gains, the president and his aides boasted of smaller-than-expected democratic gains, as well as victories and victories in competitions where President Donald Trump himself had campaign.

They had less to say about the disaster of a democratic house, which will give the opposition a power of summons against Trump administration officials who have up to the point of present been little watched by republican friends. At the beginning of next year, the White House Trump administration is expected to face demands ranging from Trump's tax returns to more information about Trump's campaign contacts. of 2016 with Russia.

But the White House assistants and outside allies were determined to win the battle and congratulated Trump on his role in an election he had taken on himself.

"This is a great moment, a great victory for the president," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on the news that Republicans would keep the Senate.

Sanders argued that Trump's vigorous campaign saved several Republicans. "Most of the candidates for whom the president went to campaign are doing well," she said.

She also rejected the idea of ​​a "blue wave", saying "Maybe you get a ripple".

It was a radical change from the previous Tuesday, when many of Trump's allies had taken a critical stance: "I would not want to be in this room tonight," a former House official told POLITICO. white.

Another former presidential aide had anticipated a very bad night for Trump, sending an SMS of the movie "Rocky III" in which a boxer played by Mr. T was asked to predict how a future fight would take place. "Prediction?" The boxer asks, rhetorically, before offering a direct assessment: "Pain".

While he was watching the White House's election coverage, Trump was joined by several confidants, including former campaign director Corey Lewandowski, former deputy campaign director David Bossie and his director. Reignition Campaign 2020, Brad Parscale, according to a person close to the rally.

Trump has also mingled with dozens of friends, businessmen and donors at an evening of surveillance in the residence. New York developer Richard LeFrak, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, oil industry executive Harold Hamm, Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman have all been invited to the event, even though they could not all attend. Adelson and Hamm were among the executives who attended the meeting, along with dozens of others, people said.

Although most of Trump's guests stayed away from the press, Dana White, president of the league's Ultimate Fighting Championship, was seen posing for a photo behind the official White House lectern.

During his conversations with the allies throughout the day, Trump seemed optimistic about the mid-session, said people aware of the discussions. A person who spoke with the president before the polls closed said that Mr. Trump was "very calm and reserved" and that he was "in a good mood". He was relatively moderate on Twitter, posting mostly simple endorsements of GOP candidates. Until now, Trump has been restrained from tweeting his reactions in real time to the results of the night.

Inside the White House, where televisions were listening to CNN's pre-return coverage, nervous assistants worked on the phone to obtain field information about voter turnout.

Despite the widespread predictions of a Democratic House, some Trump advisers were hopeful, claiming that expectations had been so high for Democrats that any victory, with the exception of a blue wave, could to be transformed into a Trump victory. In an overview of their post-election rotation, they noted that the GOP had experienced a glut of retirements and that it had had to face a massive fundraiser for Democrats.

Trump's advisers said they were not expecting the kind of humiliation suffered by former President Barack Obama in his first mid-term election, when Democrats lost 63 seats in the House of Representatives in 2010. The most likely outcome, according to them, was a narrow Democratic majority that would not constitute the amazing "blue wave" that could be interpreted as a national repudiation of Trump.

Earlier Tuesday night, before most of the results were known, Sanders had pro-actively defended Trump's efforts to rally Republican voters.

"The president has set the tone for an impressive number of Americans in packed arenas and crowds overwhelmed at rallies across the country," she said in a statement: "He has clearly explained the choice to the American people: tonight we can continue the path of American prosperity and security or we can go back. "

Sanders, in his subsequent conversation with reporters, swept away Nancy Pelosi, the main presidential candidate for the Parliament if Democrats take over the House.

When asked if Trump would call Pelosi if the Democrats were victorious on Tuesday, Sanders replied, "I do not know why he would have called Nancy Pelosi, considering that many of her party members had said that they would not support her. not."

Trump himself, meanwhile, has slowly become aware of what a divided government would mean – not only for his political agenda, but also for his prospects for reelection for 2020, said confidants.

In the Senate, where control rests on the races of the West, in Montana, Arizona and Nevada, the Republicans' victories would complete Trump's transformation from fearless hangman to titular chef. of a party, which many candidates have tied after concluding that he could mobilize their forces. the electors.

But some allies had already realized the problems in the states where Trump had poured considerable political capital, namely the Arizona Senate race between Republican Republican Martha McSally and Republican Kyrsten Sinema.

Missouri and Florida are two other sources of concern. The latter is the site of two major races: Republican governor Rick Scott, attacking incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.

In the run for the governorship of the state, Ron DeSantis, an ally of Trump who has tightly squeezed the president into his arms, is locked in a tight battle against Democrat Andrew Gillum.

This competition and the seats of other governors in other states, including Ohio, have attracted less national media attention than many congressional battles. But Trump advisors focused on them, understanding the importance of having key allies in state cabinets before Trump's reelection in 2020.

With the exception of Sanders, many White House employees had their mouths open Tuesday night. Surrounded by reporters in the White House alley, spokesman Hogan Gidley declined to answer questions regarding the president's mood or the Republicans' prospects. "I have to go back inside, guys," he said before disappearing into the west wing.

Meanwhile, Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, presented a live program of election results on a roof overlooking the Capitol, with the goal of updating the conservative base of the president on the developments of the night.

Steve Cortes, CNN Trump's substitute, former Trump campaign collaborator Sam Nunberg and right-wing activist Jack Posobiec were all spotted on the set. Another noteworthy observation: author Michael Wolff, whose revealing explosion at the White House provoked the dispute between Bannon's public and Trump.

When asked why he was there, Wolff replied, "I only look.

Annie Karni and Alex Isenstadt contributed to this report.