Prospective speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday hailed the "American tsunami" of Democratic victories in US congressional elections that handed the party control of both chambers of Congress.
"It wasn't simply a blue wave. It was an American tsunami," Jeffries, who is poised to become the first Black person to lead the House when the new Congress convenes in January, told a news conference.
"We're humbled by the outcome," Jeffries said, vowing to "fight hard for every single American, wherever you may reside."
NBC News, with a group of other news organizations, conducted exit polling across the country in 45 key states.
The poll includes in-person interviews on Election Day, and it combines the in-person poll with other methods"mail, phone and online"to account for in-person early and mail-in voters.
The exit polls are not vote results, but instead a look at the thinking and motives of voters across the country.
Exit polls help the public better understand the makeup and motivations of the electorate.
No one knows what Trump will do this week or in the coming two months before the new Congress is sworn in. On other issues such as the Iran war, Trump has said that nobody knows what he will do. So he almost takes pride in being unpredictable.
But in the case of the midterm elections, his being unpredictable is exactly why so many people are worried.
Remember, this is a guy who once said in a 2019 speech that article two of the constitution allows him to do whatever he wants as president.
And in February of 2025, he posted on social media, he who saves his country does not violate any law. And of course, the one who is saving the country in Donald Trump's eyes is Donald Trump.
Perhaps the biggest reason for all the anxiousness surrounding what Trump might do is that the winners of the midterm elections will need to wait 2 months before they are sworn in. and that happens on January 3rd, 2027.
A lot can happen in 2 months.
First polls begin to close with control of Congress at stake read more
The 2026 US midterm elections feature firebrand progressives trying to stake out new territory, moderate Republicans struggling in the shadow of Donald Trump, and a host of scandals that have made races closer than they should be.
These candidates could shape not only power in Washington, but public and political understanding of what works " and wins votes " in different places across the country.
Can a Democrat win in red Kansas? Could Texas finally flip away from Republicans?
Will abuse allegations or absenteeism tank incumbents? How important is capturing online attention?
"Appearing earlier in the day on "Morning Joe" on the liberal MS Now network, the House minority leader called the result a repudiation of President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
However, the Brooklyn Democrat said his party would focus not on retribution but on fulfilling its promise to lower the prices of groceries, gas, housing and health care.
"The American people don't want us to get even," said Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as House minority leader in 2023.
"They want us to get things done on their behalf. Because life is way too expensive. We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it's our job to govern on affordability."
"It's important for the president, before we even cross over into the new Congress, to end this war in Iran," he said.
Amid numerous allegations of financial impropriety during Trump's presidency, from his cryptocurrency venture to insider trading, Jeffries warned: "There's a cost to corruption."
"When it comes to the accountability side of the equation, it's going to be our responsibility to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, let the chips fall where they may, and make sure that wrongdoers are being held accountable."
;;
MABA!@ Make America Blue Again!