Donnie, Are You OK?': Bill Maher Mocks Trump's Calm Reaction to Democrats' Sweeping Midterm Victory

Bill Maher mocked Donald Trump's surprisingly calm response to Democrats seizing control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping 2026 midterm election victory, during HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' on Friday, 6 November 2026.

After the president publicly congratulated his political opponents, Maher addressed him directly: 'Don, are you OK?'

Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the 3 November elections, overturning Republican majorities amid voter frustration over living costs and the war with Iran.

The Associated Press projected Democratic control of the Senate on election night and the House early on 4 November. The incoming lawmakers will not take office until January.

Maher Challenges Trump's Sudden Praise for Democrats

Opening his monologue, Maher made little effort to conceal his satisfaction with the results.

'Republicans lost bigly,' he declared, using a word closely associated with Trump's rhetoric. Maher argued that commentators had been too cautious about predicting the scale of the Republican defeat.

He then introduced a montage of earlier television appearances in which he had forecast a decisive Democratic victory. In one clip, he predicted a 'historic thumping' for the Republicans, a phrase that became the title of the show's published monologue.

Maher said there was one development he had failed to foresee, Trump's reaction. Rather than immediately claiming the result had been rigged, the president had publicly acknowledged that Democrats fought hard and deserved credit.

Turning towards the camera, Maher asked whether Trump was all right, joking that his unexpectedly gracious language made him sound unwell. He also alluded to their previous disagreements and expressed surprise that Trump had not challenged the election's legitimacy.

The remark was political satire, not a medical assessment. Its target was the contrast between Trump's praise for the victors and his history of attacking unfavourable election outcomes.

Maher also recalled a warning issued by the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham in 2016. Graham had predicted that his party would suffer and deserve defeat if it nominated Trump, a remark Maher used to frame the latest election losses.

Trump's Landslide Claim Contrasts With His Praise

The president's reaction was not entirely gracious. On election night, he argued on Truth Social that Republicans would have prevailed if he had been standing for election himself.

'I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!' Trump wrote. His statement was a hypothetical claim, not a reflection of the actual vote.

Trump also accused Fox News of contributing to Republican losses by providing airtime to Democratic figures, calling them the 'Dumocrat opposition'. He offered no evidence that the network's coverage had determined the result.

Yet during an election-night Fox News interview, Trump struck a markedly different tone towards the party that had defeated his candidates. He said Democrats had done a good job and fought hard, while insisting the outcome should not be viewed as a personal rejection.

Trump described the setback as 'just a point in time' and referred to a prevailing electoral mood. He also argued that sitting presidents commonly lose ground in midterm contests.

The Democratic victories will leave Trump facing opposition majorities in both chambers when the new Congress convenes on 3 January 2027. For Maher, however, the immediate surprise was not the result he had predicted, but the president's response.