"Dumb as a Rock": Trump Blows Up While Watching Live Coverage... What Happened in the U.S. Midterm Elections?

Repeated Democratic Wins in Republican Strongholds, Including Texas and Ohio
Trump Hurls Insults at Election Coverage Host
Blasts Fox News Over "Ratings Plunge"

As Democrats make stronger-than-expected gains in the U.S. midterm elections, making inroads even into the Republican Party’s core support base, U.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed a barrage of harsh criticism against conservative broadcaster Fox News.

On November 4, Yonhap News reported, citing foreign media outlets including The Washington Post and the UK’s The Independent, that Trump had posted a series of messages on his social media platform Truth Social that day criticizing Fox News’ election coverage.

As Democrats make stronger-than-expected gains in the U.S. midterm elections, making inroads even into the Republican Party’s core support base, U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at conservative broadcaster Fox News. AP-Yonhap News Agency

That day, Trump wrote, "I’m watching the election coverage on Fox News, and I just can’t stand Jessica Tarlov’s voice," adding, "She’s dumb as a rock, but above all, her voice is grating." He continued, "I’ll have to watch another channel until that loser disappears from the show. I’ll come back later."

Jessica Tarlov, whom Trump publicly criticized, is a Democratic-leaning political commentator who appears on Fox News’ discussion program "The Five." On a program where conservative commentators make up the majority, she primarily explains the Democratic Party’s position. Trump’s attacks did not stop there. In another post, he said, "Fox News polls are always the worst," claiming that "every single question is hostile and insulting." He also criticized the network, saying, "Fox News ratings are down 27% because it spends too much time covering stupid Democrats who are obsessed with Trump."

In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico defeated Republican candidate Ken Paxton. It was the first time in 38 years, since 1988, that a Democratic candidate was elected to the U.S. Senate in Texas. AP-Yonhap News

He went on to say, "It’s no wonder the ratings are collapsing. They’ll fall even further," adding, "It’s not because of me, but because they’re against me." Fox News’ total daily viewership in October was indeed 27% lower than in the same period a year earlier, but it still had the largest audience among U.S. cable news channels.

Trump voiced strong dissatisfaction with the election coverage because the results of the midterm elections showed clear gains for Democrats. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Democrats won Senate seats in a string of Republican strongholds: Texas, South Carolina, Ohio and North Carolina.

In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico defeated Republican candidate Ken Paxton. It was the first time in 38 years, since 1988, that a Democratic candidate was elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas. In South Carolina, Democratic candidate Annie Andrews also pulled off an upset by defeating Republican candidate Darlene Graham. In Ohio, Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted and returned to the Senate.

Democrat Roy Cooper also won in North Carolina, bringing the four Senate seats held by Republicans under Democratic control. Democrats also gained ground in their bid to retake the House by defeating a string of incumbent Republicans. Major U.S. media outlets have rated the Democrats’ chances of taking control of the House highly and say their prospects of becoming the Senate majority party are also improving.

This midterm election is widely seen as a referendum on the first half of Trump’s second term. Reuters reported that high prices, the cost-of-living burden and voter dissatisfaction with the war in Iran had contributed to the Republicans’ poor performance. Exit polls also showed that many voters were dissatisfied with the state of the U.S. economy and the direction of the country.

President Trump campaigned for Republican candidates ahead of the elections and sought to rally his base, but after his endorsed candidates suffered a string of defeats in key battleground areas, he is likely to face political fallout. AP-Yonhap News.

Trump sought to rally his base by backing Republican candidates ahead of the election, but his political standing is likely to take a hit after his endorsed candidates suffered a string of defeats in key battleground areas. As news of Democratic victories continued to come in, he also posted on Truth Social: "My name wasn’t on the ballot. If I had run, I would have won in a landslide."

Meanwhile, if Democrats take control of Congress, significant changes are expected in how the Trump Administration governs going forward. Congress is likely to strengthen its oversight and investigative powers over the executive branch, and clashes between the White House and Democrats are expected to be unavoidable during major legislative and budget processes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.