Good morning. Democrats have seized control of Congress and sent immediate signals that they plan to go right after President Trump. He must decide quickly whether to cut deals with them, try to use them as a foil or continue leading the way he has since January 2025. He is now officially a lame duck, and after Tuesday night’s thorough defeat he likely won’t have the same control over his own party that he had before.

He told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night that he would work with Democrats if they wanted to find common ground but that he would impose vetoes on initiatives he opposed. Tuesday’s midterms outcome shows that his administration has lost the voters’ trust. He will face a number of tough decisions almost immediately.

Live election Q&A: Join me for a live real-time written discussion from 2 p.m. ET. Trump’s Wednesday: The president has no public events listed for today.

Democrats delivered a blue shellacking in Tuesday’s midterms. Republicans lost Senate seats in Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, reclaiming control of the House and Senate, as voters voiced their discontent over Trump and prepared to usher in a new era of divided government during his final two years in office. The election results represented a voter response to high inflation, inflated fuel prices, the Iran war launched by Trump and his trade fights with allies.

Voters were in a sour mood. Unhappy about Trump’s performance in office, they also were worried about the cost of living and the country’s direction, according to results from a poll of more than 79,000 registered voters for the Associated Press and all the major television and cable news networks. Ahead of Tuesday’s midterm Trump had cast the economy as being on solid ground, but voters disagreed and blamed him for higher prices, with close to two-thirds saying inflation was up more because of his policies.

Journal reporters crashed the emotion-filled watch parties. In Austin, Texas, at Democrat James Talarico’s party, groups of family and friends hugged and several could be overheard expressing how stunned they were to see Democrats finally win a statewide race for the first time in more than 30 years. In West Palm Beach, Fla., a MAGA crowd gathered and had just gotten a rare bit of good news: Fox News had called the Florida governor’s race for Republican Byron Donalds. “Thank God for little miracles,” one woman cried.

I’m Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington coverage chief. I’ve covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I’ve covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.