Democrats win control of US Senate in midterms as Trump branded ‘lame duck’

Donald Trump has been branded a “failed lame duck president” after the Democrats inflicted a string of historic defeats against the Republicans to take control of the US Senate.

In a remarkable sweep, the Democrats won Senate seats in the former Republican strongholds of Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Ohio.

The party also flipped a string of seats in the House of Representatives in states like Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina.

Senate candidate James Talarico became the first Democrat to win a statewide office in Texas since 1994.

The midterm victories represent a major blow to Mr Trump, who earlier urged people to pretend he was on the ballot paper.

In the face of losses, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”

Potential 2028 presidential challenger Democrat US senator Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia, which had been a top Republican target.

The 39-year-old has been a leading critic of the US president and his administration, raising his national profile.

Mr Ossoff told supporters: “In sweeping and decisive victories the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption, and incompetence of the failed lame duck president Donald J Trump.

“And if, at times these last two years, amidst the ceaseless onslaught of brutality and indecency, you doubted whether our republic would survive, let tonight’s results give you courage that the first light of dawn is on the horizon.”