 "Trump blames govt shutdown, absence from ballot for Republican losses")
Democrats registered sweeping victories across the US in the first major elections since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House this year.
Following the Republican Party's loss, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) took to his Truth Social account and blamed the defeats on two main factors — his absence from the ballot and the recent government shutdown.
“'Trump wasn’t on the ballot, and shutdown, were the two reasons that Republicans lost elections tonight,’ according to Pollsters,” Trump wrote. He said political experts agreed that these were the decisive reasons behind the GOP’s poor performance.
Democrats celebrate sweeping wins
The remarks came after Democrats scored major victories across the country, including Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in the New York City mayoral race. Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist, became the city’s youngest and first Muslim mayor after defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo.
The election saw record voter participation, with over 2 million people casting their votes. Mamdani’s win is being hailed as a landmark moment for Democrats, symbolising the city’s changing political mood.
Trump’s past criticism of Democratic leaders
Trump’s latest comments echo his earlier remarks, where he criticised the Democratic leadership and expressed frustration over election outcomes. Before the New York vote, he had warned that federal funding to the city could be at risk if Mamdani won, calling him a “Communist lunatic” and a “disaster waiting to happen".
Mamdani’s victory speech: ‘A mandate for change’
In his victory address, Mamdani thanked his supporters and called the result a victory for the people. “The future is in our hands. My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” he said, wishing his rival Andrew Cuomo “the best in private life".
“But let tonight be the last time I utter his name, as we abandon a politics that answers to the few,” he added. “Tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city that we can afford.”
Mamdani declared, “On January 1, I will be sworn in as mayor of New York City.”
Cuomo concedes, urges unity
In his concession speech, Andrew Cuomo acknowledged the massive voter turnout and congratulated Mamdani. “Tonight was their night, and as they start to transition to government, we will all help any way we can, because we need our New York City government to work,” he said. “We want it to work for all New Yorkers, because our city is the greatest city in the world.”
US elections 2025: A night of historic firsts
The Democratic victories marked several historic milestones across the country:
• Zohran Mamdani – first South Asian and Muslim mayor of New York City
• Abigail Spanberger – first woman governor of Virginia
• Mikie Sherrill – first female Democratic governor of New Jersey
• Ghazala Hashmi – first Muslim woman elected statewide in the US
• Jay Jones – first Black attorney general of Virginia
• Mary Sheffield – first woman mayor of Detroit