Karoline Leavitt says Trump was crushed because Americans 'forgot about his good policy and listened to the lying media'

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Republicans' crushing midterm defeat on voters forgetting about President Trump's 'good policy' and listening to 'the lying media.'Trump on Tuesday faced a stunning rebuke from voters fed up with the high cost of living, gasoline prices, the war in Iran and heavy-handed immigration enforcement. The president's handpicked candidates for Senate in South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan and Texas faced astonishing losses by margins that blew past polling expectations, as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. As the vote counts rolled in Tuesday night and the full picture of Republicans' overwhelming loss came into view, Leavitt claimed on Fox News that Americans' short memories were to blame.'Before the president launched the operation in Iran, I remember being at the podium talking about how gasoline was $1.99 in states like Colorado,' Leavitt said on the network. 'And that was because of [Trump's] energy dominance plan, not the Democrats. So unfortunately, I think the American people forgot about the good policy, maybe listened to the lying media on the other side,' the former press secretary added.Trump launched his deeply unpopular invasion of Iran in February, which led to the country closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 25 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes.That led to a sharp rise in gas prices and the general cost of living. The national average cost of a gallon of gasoline currently stands at $4.12, up from $3.05 a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Republicans' midterm defeat on the 'lying media' during a Fox News appearance on election night Leavitt also said that voters forgot about Trump's 'good policy' and said: 'I remember being at the podium talking about how gasoline was $1.99 in states like Colorado' A massive blue wave that swept the nation Tuesday night amounted to a rebuke of Trump's presidency from voters fed up with high fuel prices, the cost of living and foreign wars Trump roared into office in 2025 by promising to tackle price spikes under the Biden administration, while also promising 'no new wars.' The president admitted that the war in Iran was partially to blame for the Republican drubbing on Tuesday in an election night interview with The Wall Street Journal.But he also said that he does not regret the invasion and told the publication: 'I did the right thing. I would have done it again.'In a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening, the president claimed that Republicans lost because he was not on the ballot, appearing to attempt to distance himself from the humbling defeat. 'I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,' he wrote. In the months before the midterms, as Trump poured countless hours into campaigning for Republican candidates across the country, he implored voters to 'pretend I'm on the ballot.' The president appeared irate during a call with Fox News's Bret Baier on election night after the host asked about the 'quality' of Trump's Senate candidate picks in Texas and South Carolina. Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton by a whopping 12 points in Texas, as the state elected its first blue Senator since 1988. Trump backed Paxton in the state's Republican primary over incumbent Senator John Cornyn due to perceived disloyalty. Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton by 12 points in Texas, as the state elected its first blue Senator since 1988. The results blew past polling expectations Democrat Annie Andrews pulled off a shock victory in South Carolina over President Trump's personally chosen candidate, Darlene Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham And in South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated political novice Darlene Graham, who was appointed to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham's seat and ran in the general election, both at the behest of Trump. When Baier asked the president about his support for those failed candidates, Trump replied that he 'had no choice' but to support Paxton, then levied criticism at Fox News.'The Fox polls are terrible. You ought to get yourself a good pollster, because your pollster is the worst,' Trump said. Baier quickly stepped in to challenge the president, saying: 'But tonight actually the results are pretty close to what the Fox polls showed.'During the blue wave on Tuesday, Trump told The New York Times that he would accept the results of the election and said he was open to working with the Democrats, saying: 'We’ll, you know, look forward to working with them.'We’ll probably work something out.'Which US president best reflects YOUR political views?