After midterm disaster, Trump returns to Truth Social... to complain about his bid to stop changing the clocks not being approved

Following a disastrous night for the Republicans in the midterm elections, which saw the Democrats take control of Congress, Donald Trump returned to Truth Social to complain about clocks going back and early winter sunsets.The Democrats swept to victory by securing a huge House majority and won control of the Senate, a remarkable achievement powered by victories in Republican strongholds — Kansas, South Carolina, Texas — that few could have predicted a year ago. The Republican defeat is being viewed as a resounding rejection of Trump's two years in the White House, with issues such as the cost of living and the unpopular war in Iran triggering a blue wave.But as opposed to posting about his party's crushing defeat, the president took to his Truth Social platform to vent his frustration about clocks going back and it being dark outside.'Too bad the Senate has not yet approved the Sunshine Protection Act or, the I Don't Want to Change My Clocks Anymore Act,' Trump wrote, calling on Republicans to secure at least one last legislative victory while they still hold control of Congress.The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time permanent, meaning the time would no longer change twice per year.'It’s so dark outside, so early (Sunset was 5.06pm, and it was dark by 5.31pm — Isn’t that ridiculous?),' Trump wrote. 'Just a few days ago it was so nice and sunny at this same time. In addition, everyone’s been running around changing their clocks all over the place.' Following a disastrous night for the Republicans in the midterm elections, which saw the Democrats take control of Congress, Donald Trump returned to Truth Social to complain about clocks going back and early winter sunsets President Donald Trump signs the final steel beam before it is placed during construction for the White House Ballroom at the White House, Wednesday, November 4, in WashingtonTrump continued: 'I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this prior to the Election because I didn’t want to have certain Senators lose their Race, in a landslide, but it is too bad they can’t get it done. 'The House sent it over to the Senate with great bipartisan support, numerous times (308-117), but the Senate didn’t take it up. We have far bigger priorities, but I will keep fighting for this!'On July 14, the House passed the bill with a 308-117 vote. Nevertheless, the bill was opposed in the Senate by Republicans, including Tom Cotton, who won reelection Tuesday to the Senate representing Arkansas.'No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,' Cotton previously said.Cotton, a member of GOP leadership, is the most vocal opponent of the change, notably drawing Trump's anger in October when the Republican president posted his personal cellphone number on social media and ordered him to 'GET IT DONE!' Supporters of the bill, including the president and his administration, argue that the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. Opponents say permanent daylight saving time would cause darker and potentially more dangerous winter mornings when children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness. As well as shifting the conversation to clocks, Trump called ​in reporters on the morning after his party's sweeping defeat to show off the ballroom he is building at the White House. Less than 24 hours after suffering historic party losses, he spoke about ballroom features for more than 20 minutes, boasting about its 'magnificent' columns carved out of limestone, 50ft-high ceilings, ability to hold more than 300 guests, heavy-set beams, 'drone-proof' roof, thick marble floors and military-grade bunker.'When I get criticised, like, "Why are you working ⁠on the White House?" I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America, and it's got to be pristine, it's got to be perfect,' Trump said. 'For me, it's relaxing.'He turned only briefly to the elections during ​his nearly hour-long appearance, telling reporters: 'I'll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive, but I have the power of the veto.'Trump had cast the midterm elections as a referendum on the first half of his second four-year ​stint in the White House, repeatedly urging his Republican base to 'pretend I'm on the ballot,' a message that Democratic Party leaders were happy to amplify.A wave of anger over his policies, particularly the ​US-Iran war's role in pushing the cost of living higher, helped Democrats take the Senate, where they flipped seats in deeply Republican states for a majority of at least 54-44. Democrats also gained ‌at least 30 seats in the House of Representatives. It will be the first time that Trump, a Republican who also held the White House from 2017 to 2021, has had to contend with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Wednesday that the incoming majority would be focused on affordability and accountability.'We don't work for Donald Trump,' Jeffries, a New York lawmaker who is on track to become the first Black speaker of the House, told reporters on Wednesday. 'We work for the American people. And the days of the House of ​Representatives functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over.'Voters in conservative strongholds who propelled the president to his second term in office just two years ago swung dramatically toward Democrats, fueled by deep frustration over the unpopular war with Iran, anxiety over the high cost of living and anger at Trump's stewardship of the country.Prices increased by 3.7 per cent in the year to September, driven higher by fuel and energy prices. Average US retail diesel prices in early October were just below the record of $6.52 (£4.83) per gallon seen in September, according to government data. In Texas, the biggest Republican-led state before Tuesday, Democrats ended a decades-long losing streak in seismic fashion, winning their first Senate seat ​there since 1988 and ousting three-term Governor Greg Abbott.Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since the Great Depression nearly a century ago, and in South Carolina, a state that Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024, Democrats turned aside ​his hand-picked Senate candidate.Now, Republican allies and strategists have called for Trump to shake up his White House personnel, restore discipline and scrap policies they blamed for the losses, including the Iran war and tariffs, as his presidency enters its final years. Veteran Republican strategist John Feehery called the results a 'huge disaster' for Trump.'He needs to clean house,' Feehery said. 'Every day from this point forward, he's becoming more and more lame.'But ​Trump showed little indication that he viewed the election outcome as a reason to change direction.'I don't view it as a hit ​on me,' he told Fox News late on Tuesday.Democrats will now have the power to block Trump's legislation, investigate his ⁠administration and challenge his nominees. That is expected to push Trump, who has already used executive authority aggressively, toward an even greater reliance on unilateral ​action.He will also have to decide whether to double down on an agenda that some Republicans fear has become a political liability, particularly for potential ​successors eyeing White House bids in 2028.Vice President JD Vance, who is viewed as Trump's likely political heir, appeared to put some distance between himself and the president on Wednesday, blaming the Iran war for the midterm losses. Such breaks could become more common if Republicans conclude Trump's longtime grip on the party's voters is weakening, strategists ​and party officials said.