After Democrats' sweeping victories in blue states issued a warning to Republicans, their voters, and President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, Trump issued an official first salvo for the battleground of the 2026 midterms next November, a proverbial response to a call to "turn the volume up."
"…AND SO IT BEGINS!" Trump wrote, concluding in a series of Truth Social posts laying out proverbial marching orders for Republicans.
That post followed a call for Republicans to end the Democrat-forced government shutdown and secure elections in other parts of America where Democrats do not have the control over elections to no voter ID and mail-in balloting.
"Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots," Trump wrote on Truth Social, laying out the possible consequences.
"Save our Supreme Court from 'Packing,' No Two State addition, etc."
As for the record-setting shutdown that officially became the longest in U.S. history overnight, Trump repeated his thus-far rejected call for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to "TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!"
"REPUBLICANS, TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!" Trump added in a prior post as Democrats were celebrating sweeping victories in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia, and California.
"GET BACK TO PASSING LEGISLATION AND VOTER REFORM! President DJT."
As the races were called, Trump chummed the media waters with his pollsters' explanation for how Democrats were able to wipe out their opponents.
"'TRUMP WASN'T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,' according to Pollsters," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Shortly after that post, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, 34, and his backers were reveling in victory, and the democratic socialist took to taunting Trump.
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!" Mamdani said during a Tuesday night victory speech.
Democrats swept a trio of races on Tuesday in the first major election since Trump returned to power nine months ago, elevating a new generation of leaders and injecting fresh momentum into the beleaguered party ahead of next year's congressional elections.
Mamdani made countering the 79-year-old Republican president's actions in the city – especially on immigration – a centerpiece of his campaign. The next three years will test his ability to go toe-to-toe with Trump, who thrives on bare-knuckle politics.
"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani told supporters. "And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.
"This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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