President Donald Trump heads to Florida on Friday, November 6, 2026, for his first trip outside Washington since Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in Tuesday's midterm elections, a result widely seen as a rebuke of his second term.
Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks on Friday evening at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, days after he signed a proclamation declaring all outer space beyond Earth is American territory. He is then expected to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach.
Trump blames voters for the market plunge
The president has kept a lower-than-usual profile since the election, but he was vocal on Thursday as US stocks plunged. Writing on Truth Social after markets closed, Trump blamed voters for the sell-off, posting: "The Stock Market crashed today because the Dumocrats had a big Tuesday — So sad to see, you only have yourselves to blame!"
He also reiterated his support for artificial intelligence as investors feared Democrats could derail the AI boom, writing: "As President, I am 100% in favour of Super Intelligence (SI), and will work with the many States in the US that want to become RICH by having them. They are GOLD, and only foolish leadership will say 'NO' to the riches they bring!"
A transformed political landscape
Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday's vote, and by early Thursday they held 54 Senate seats. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared: "Today begins the great American comeback." The new Congress is scheduled to take office on January 3, 2027, giving Democrats control of committees, investigations, legislation and Senate confirmations for the final two years of Trump's presidency. Trump still holds the veto, and overriding it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
Inside the Republican Party, the blame game has begun. Vice President JD Vance publicly split with Trump, saying the war in Iran was the "reason we lost," as he distanced himself from the unpopular conflict ahead of a possible 2028 White House run. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are also seen as potential 2028 contenders.
Judge blocks Trump's triumphal arch
In another setback, a federal judge on Thursday night temporarily blocked construction of the 250-foot triumphal arch Trump plans to build near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order halting work for two weeks, just hours after the National Capital Planning Commission, made up mostly of Trump appointees, approved the project. The arch, designed with gold statues on top and expected to take about three years to build, is intended to honor the nation's 250th anniversary. The Justice Department has argued it serves a national security purpose, but the judge said the government's "belated and unsupported assertion" of national security benefits did not change her analysis.
Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faces a possible impeachment vote when the House returns next week, and he is not a candidate to be appointed to the Senate from Tennessee, according to a source close to the state's new governor.
On foreign policy, First Lady Melania Trump hosted officials from Moscow and Kyiv at the White House ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the Ukraine war. Trump said Thursday that a comprehensive peace agreement is "very close" and could involve security guarantees for all of Europe.
Sources: USA Today, The Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Recorder, Punch, Times of India.
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