President Donald Trump was quick to diagnose what led to a bad night at the polls for Republicans, but his post-election read on what went wrong underscored how the GOP has major problems that won’t be easy to fix for the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.

On Wednesday morning, hours after Democrats racked up decisive wins in New Jersey, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, and California, Trump called on Senate Republicans, once again, to take the so-called “nuclear option” against the filibuster during a breakfast at the White House to end the government shutdown that has stretched over 30 days.