President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats on their midterm election victories and said he was ready to work with the opposing party, according to remarks he made in a call with CBS News on election night.
“My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” Trump said. He added that he knew many Democrats and expected the parties to be able to work things out.
Trump also pointed to his veto power as leverage in negotiations. “I’m sure we’ll be able to work things out,” he said, adding that otherwise he would “just veto everything.” He said he believed Democrats would want to work with him.
Trump blames his absence from the ballot for Republican losses
The president argued that Republican candidates would have done better if he had been on the ballot. “If I was, we would have won,” he said, while also faulting some candidates and saying the party’s base had stayed home in certain races.
Trump said he had tried to help candidates get elected but that voters had not turned out as he expected. He described the outcome as a moment in time and said similar setbacks had happened before.
The results included Democrats gaining five Senate seats and taking control of the chamber, the Associated Press reported. Trump’s remarks combined congratulations with a warning that he could use his veto against legislation if negotiations with Democrats failed.
Nicole French 
Reid Bentley