Democracy's Historic Turnaround Against MAGA
Trump lost Congress, and the allies who wore his cap around the world are in trouble too: Netanyahu is left without a majority in Israel's parliament, Flávio Bolsonaro fled to the United States, and Milei's Argentina has closed more than 32,000 companies.
Adapted translation of the Portuguese original. Read the original.
CartoonThe red cap became an international brand. Make America Great Again, Donald Trump's MAGA, was adopted by allies the world over, from Jerusalem to Buenos Aires to Brazil. This week, the brand took its biggest defeat since it was created.
At home, the lost Congress
On Tuesday (November 3), Americans took from Trump the Senate and the House, according to NBC projections. In the Senate, there were seven Democratic flips, and the tally reached 54 to 44. In the House, the estimate is 258 Democratic seats against 177. In CBS exit polls, only 38% approved of the president.
Even his chosen ones lost. Trump backed Mike Rogers in Michigan, Ashley Hinson in Iowa and Michael Whatley in North Carolina. All three were defeated. Abestadão covered the night in detail in this report and in the analysis Americans vote and bury MAGA.
The allies
Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump's closest ally outside the U.S., also came out of the polls smaller. In last week's Israeli election, his bloc won 53 seats, short of the 61 that make a majority in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. He is still trying to form a government, but without the votes he had. And he loses, in Washington, the Congress that said amen to everything he asked: days before the American vote, he pressured Trump to attack Iran, and Trump bombed on the eve.
In Brazil, the main heir of Bolsonarism did not even wait for the American result. Flávio Bolsonaro left the country with the help of a former Mossad agent and went looking for shelter precisely in Trump's United States. There, Americans are asking for him to be deported.
In Argentina, Javier Milei, who was not up for election, carries the bill for his own policies: more than 32,000 companies have closed since he took office.
The turnaround
Trump remains president until 2029, Netanyahu is still trying to govern and Milei remains in the Casa Rosada. But the message of November 3 holds for the whole network: the cap that seemed invincible lost its majority in the country that invented it. It is democracy working, through the vote, against those who spent the last few years trying to bend it.
Sources
- 2026 Senate election results
NBC projected Democratic control of the Senate, with 54 seats to 44 and seven flips, at 9:20 a.m. Brasília time on November 4. Mike Rogers lost in Michigan (45.6% to 52.4%), Ashley Hinson in Iowa (46.4% to 50.5%) and Michael Whatley in North Carolina (39.1% to 58.7%).
Projection.
- 2026 House election results
NBC projected Democratic control of the House, with an estimate of 258 Democratic seats and 177 Republican.
Estimate, not official result.
- Senate races to watch and the balance of power in 2026
Trump led Republican unity around Mike Rogers in Michigan, joined in backing Ashley Hinson in Iowa and gave his endorsement to Michael Whatley in North Carolina.
- Israel election results: Benjamin Netanyahu bloc wins 53 seats, opposition holds 48
In the Israeli election, Netanyahu's bloc won 53 Knesset seats, short of the 61 needed for a majority; the opposition, 48.
The formation of the government remained open.
- 2026 elections live updates as midterm voters decide control of Congress
In CBS exit polls, Trump's approval was 38%, on track to be the worst for a president in a midterm election.
Early exit poll numbers.
