A verdict at the ballot box

The verdict in the midterm elections was blunt: Democrats flipped both chambers of Congress and toppled Republican strongholds across the country, and triumphant party leaders warned the Trump administration to "lawyer up" as they prepared a wave of corruption investigations from January.

Pollsters had warned before the vote that corruption in government had surged to second place among voters' concerns, behind only the rising cost of living. The mood behind the result was measured by an AP survey of some 80,000 voters across all 50 states, which found roughly three-quarters were "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the country's direction.

Among voters weighing Trump himself, about twice as many wanted to oppose him as support him, and roughly 6 in 10 judged the president to care more about his own interests than the nation's. More than half of voters nationally called government corruption "crucial" to their House vote, outranking the cost of living and exceeding immigration enforcement, the Iran war and AI data centres. Yet the AP survey also suggested the Democratic Party is not much more popular with voters than the Republicans despite the "Blue Tsunami" sweeping the country.

Texas and beyond

Texas delivered the starkest result. Ken Paxton, the Senate nominee endorsed by Trump over incumbent John Cornyn, had been impeached by his own party over corruption accusations - and on Tuesday he became the first Texas Republican to lose a Senate race since 1988. James Talarico won the race for Democrats, who also clinched the Texas governor's seat for the first time in more than 30 years.

Elsewhere:

• •In rural Iowa, where Democrats won both the Senate and governor's races, roughly half of voters said government corruption was "crucial" to their vote, while about 4 in 10 said this of the cost of living.
• •Michigan voters elected the country's first Muslim senator, Abdul El-Sayed, a vocal critic of both US military aid to Israel and its human rights record. Only 2 in 10 said his stance on Israel weighed heavily on their choice.

Steven Ekovich, professor emeritus of political science at the American University in Paris, said Trump "chose weak and scandalous candidates, betting on the wrong horses". He added that the economic problems from Trump's trade wars and the Middle East turmoil after the US and Israeli attack on Iran were clearly Trump's own, and "the American people saw it clearly and sanctioned him".

The campaign Trump ran

Trump's own conduct in the final days cut against the concern voters were expressing. The day before the election, he showed off costly renovations in Washington, including his troubled Reflecting Pool and a planned $400 million White House ballroom built after razing the historic East Wing to the ground.

On the stump, Trump bragged that the oil industry was earning a "freaking fortune" from the Iran war, and joked that the $5,000 checks he dangled at voters would not buy a hamburger at his Florida resort. His personal wealth has more than tripled since the start of his second term.

Republicans, led by Trump, meanwhile attacked Democrats over culture war issues such as transgender rights while attempting to cast their opponents as radical and extreme. Democrats campaigned on corruption and affordability, blaming Trump's tariffs and the Iran war for higher costs and highlighting the billions of dollars the Trump family has made since he returned to the White House.

Douglas Heye, former communications director of the Republican National Committee, called the messaging "remarkably tone-deaf for somebody who is normally a pretty shrewd populist operator". He said Trump goes on "weird tangents", bragging about gas prices and company profits, and that many voters see him as focused on what is important to himself rather than to them.

On Election Day, in a late-night Fox News interview, Trump said he did not consider the elections a personal defeat. Voters, he argued, simply "didn't like the candidates".

What comes next

When the new Congress takes office in January, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries - in line to become the first Black speaker - has vowed to pursue "unprecedented corruption" in government. He has argued that if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends or their donors, they are not focused on making life better for Americans.

With committee control in both chambers, Democrats can summon officials, demand documents and hold public hearings, putting Trump and his senior aides under intense scrutiny. Heye, for his part, warned that voters are unhappy with both parties, and that Washington is very unpopular - and until it tries to tackle these problems, it will remain that way.

The administration is widely expected to resist demands for testimony or documents, setting the stage for protracted court battles that could shape Washington politics for years.