US midterms: 'Willing to accept results,' says Donald Trump as Democrats flip key Senate races

With control of Congress at stake, US President Donald Trump said he was willing to accept the mid-term election results after Democrats made significant gains by flipping key Senate and gubernatorial races. Trump also said he was prepared to work with Democrats, even as he blamed Republican losses on his absence from the ballot and defended his endorsements of Republican candidates.

Trump says he will accept mid-term results

“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday night as results trickled in.

Democrats wrested the US Senate races in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio, states where Trump had campaigned hard and urged voters to pretend that he was on the ballot.

Democrats make gains as votes are counted

Polls had closed in most states and counting was under way, with Democrats seeking to wrest several Republican states and take control of Congress during Trump's final two years in power.

The biggest Democratic win at that stage was a flip in North Carolina, where Roy Cooper secured nearly 59 per cent of the votes against rival Michael Whatley's 39.5 per cent. With North Carolina flipped, Democrats needed three more seats to reach a Senate majority of 50.

Democrats also flipped a House seat in New Jersey, where Rebecca Bennet defeated two-term Republican Tom Kean Jr. They had flipped three House seats and needed to retain the districts they already controlled to take the House.

Attention remained on other key states, including Alaska, Ohio, Maine, Texas, Michigan, Iowa and Kansas.

Trump says he will work with Democrats

Trump told The New York Times that he was prepared to work with Democrats.

“We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out,” the President said. His remarks came days after he claimed that he would run the administration over the next two years using his veto powers.

If Republicans lost control of Congress, Democrats would have the power to stall the passage of many of Trump's legislative plans. They would also be able to hold hearings, issue summons and order investigations. However, Trump's veto power and the Senate filibuster would remain obstacles. The results were also significant at a time of global conflict, including the Iran war.

Trump blames losses on absence from ballot

Trump blamed Republican losses on the fact that he was not on the ballot. He said he had no regrets about endorsing candidates such as Senator Darline Graham, Republican of South Carolina, and Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump posted on Truth Social.