Republicans will maintain their tight grip on power in the House of Representatives, giving President-elect Donald Trump and the GOP full control of Congress.
The ‘trifecta’ in the US Government adds to the total annihilation of the Democrats in the 2024 elections and has unleashed an internal civil war over how to move forward.
It opens the door for Republicans to have unlimited power to push all their policies alongside Trump in his first two years in office.
Republicans officially surpassed the 218-seat threshold to gain a majority in the 435-member chamber within a week of the election.
It will be the sixth time in 90 years that the party does not have control of a single branch of the federal government.
The surprising victory comes days after Trump’s White House victory over Vice President Kamala Harris and Republicans flipping the Senate with key victories in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana.
It opens the door for Republicans to have unlimited power to push all their policies alongside Trump in his first two years in office.
Republicans have maintained control of the House since the 2022 midterm elections.
218 are needed for a majority in the 435-seat chamber, with three vacancies in Ohio, California and New York that will not be filled until special elections in 2025.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is vying to keep the gavel he won a year ago after Kevin McCarthy was spectacularly ousted.
Trump endorsed Johnson during a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday at the Capitol.
He had flown to Washington, DC from Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday morning, and landed at Andrews Air Force Base.
“Isn’t it nice to win?” he told his party members to great applause at the hotel. “It’s good to win.”
In addition to winning the White House, Republicans took control of the Senate. The House has not yet been convened, but many expect the GOP to have a majority there as well when the final elections are counted.
Speaking to Republican lawmakers, Trump also hinted that he would be up for a third term, jokingly telling them, “I suspect I won’t run again unless they say, ‘This is so good we have to think of something else.'”
The joke sparked laughter among Republican lawmakers.
Congress would have to amend the Constitution if Trump wanted to serve more than two terms.
Trump, who endorsed Mike Johnson for House Speaker during the event, also had warm words for his party.
“I just want to thank everyone,” the president-elect said. ‘You’ve been amazing. We work with many of you.’
As Donald Trump celebrated his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on election night, he also praised the progress made by Republicans in the Senate, with a view to retaining control of the House.
‘It was incredible to see all those victories. Nobody expected that. Nobody,” Trump said of Republican victories across the country, citing the red wave that gave Republicans a majority in the Senate.
“We have some fantastic senators and some fantastic new senators,” he said. “And it also looks like we will maintain control of the House of Representatives.”
The final results of the congressional elections are inconclusive, but President Johnson flew to Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate with the former president on Tuesday.
‘I want to thank Mike Johnson. “I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump added.
Donald Trump celebrated his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris early Wednesday morning
Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka look on as Republican presidential candidate Trump speaks
‘I want to thank Mike Johnson. “I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump added.
Republican dominance began in Michigan. A seat held by Democratic Rep. Elissa Stlotkin, who won the state Senate seat, was rejected by Tom Barrett.
Republicans were also able to win critical seats in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Republican Addison McDowell held a Democratic seat in North Carolina’s 6th district and Tim Moore was able to win in Gastonia.
Democrats, on the other hand, were more successful against Republican incumbents in New York.
Rep. Brandon Williams, R.N.Y., lost his central New York seat to Democrat John Mannion by 46 to 54 percent.
Williams had originally won the seat with 51 percent of the vote in 2022 in a seat that Joe Biden took by an 18-point margin.
New York Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro also lost his re-election race to Democrat Josh Riley by a very close vote.
Republican President Mike Johnson declared victory on Election Day, saying, “We have saved America.”
Still, key elections yet to be called in New York and California are being closely watched in the Republican bid to tighten their party’s grip on power in the House.
But in the end, the Republican Party was able to fend off numerous Democratic challenges from coast to coast.
Conservatives now fully controlled the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government during Trump’s first years in office, giving him broad control.
A Republican supermajority could approve an extension of the Trump tax cuts he approved during his first term.
They could also try to pass legislation to make Trump’s tariff proposals a reality.
Republicans can also take stronger action against transgender issues involving schools and sports, which Trump and the GOP have often talked about during the campaign.
With control of the Senate, Republicans will be able to dictate approvals of federal judges and cabinet positions such as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense.
If a vacancy arises on the Supreme Court, the Senate takes care of that too.
During Trump’s last presidency, the Senate was controlled by the Republican Party, and the former president was able to help appoint three of the court’s nine sitting justices, which has had a major impact on the body’s ideological leaning.
Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has led the House GOP for more than a year after the party tumultuously ousted its longtime leader, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Since then, Johnson has endured multiple coup attempts, along with several budget crises and negotiations with a White House he has repeatedly criticized.
The large result for Republicans will force Democrats to rethink their strategy after believing they could turn the chamber blue.
Previously, leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries seemed optimistic, believing they had the message needed to turn voters away from Republicans.
Newly elected members of Congress will be officially sworn in during ceremonies in Washington in January 2025.
With the majority already consolidated in the Senate, the upper house held leadership elections on Wednesday.
John Thune emerged as the winner who will usher in Donald Trump’s ambitious Republican majority in Congress after a private vote.
Thune, 63, will replace outgoing leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky after the 82-year-old announced he was stepping down from the leadership role.
He successfully fended off a left-wing challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who had the backing of Trump’s trusted adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, and other MAGA stalwarts.
Thune and Trump have had a complicated relationship over the years and many in the president-elect’s orbit did not want him in charge of the MAGA agenda.
Thune and Trump have had a complicated relationship over the years and many in the president-elect’s orbit did not want him in charge of the MAGA agenda.
He called on Trump to drop out of the 2016 presidential race after the infamous Access Hollywood tape was leaked and criticized his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
But in recent months, Thune has made his support for Trump known, including becoming one of the first to endorse him during the primaries, and the two have a better relationship, reportedly speaking after his victory on Wednesday.
Their communication will be critical as Thune will be tasked with shepherding all of Trump’s Cabinet picks through the Senate confirmation process.