'How Does It Feel Being a Loser?': Trump Faces His Own Favourite Insult After Brutal Midterm Defeat

Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping midterm defeat for Donald Trump and his Republicans, prompting Sky News reporter Dominic Waghorn to ask the president on Friday, 6 November, how it felt to be a 'loser' as he left the White House.

'How does it feel being a loser, Mr. President?' Waghorn shouted as Trump finished speaking to reporters on the South Lawn and headed towards Marine One.

Trump kept walking without answering. Whether he heard the question remains unclear, a distinction Waghorn acknowledged when he later wrote on X: 'If he heard he chose not to respond.'

The exchange came three days after the 3 November elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The results were a setback for Republicans and Trump, who had urged voters to treat the contests as a judgement on his presidency.

The Associated Press called Democratic control of the Senate on election night and the House early the following morning. The calls established which party would control both chambers before every individual congressional contest had been settled.

Although Trump was not on the ballot, candidates he backed were among those defeated. Republicans will lose their control of Congress when the newly elected lawmakers take office in January.

Trump's Favourite Insult Comes Back to Haunt Him

Waghorn's question drew on a word Trump has repeatedly used about political opponents, journalists and policies he dislikes.

On Monday, 9 November, three days after the encounter, Trump used the insult again during an impromptu exchange with White House reporters.

He called Republican congressman Thomas Massie a 'stone-cold loser' while criticising the Kentucky lawmaker. When CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins questioned him about Massie and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump directed the insult at her and the network's ratings.

Trump also described wind turbines as 'a major loser' when asked whether he would approve them under proposed legislation. The remarks show the term appearing in his comments on both political opponents and energy policy.

Waghorn later shared his encounter with Trump on social media. On Friday, the reporter's question about the election results went unanswered. Trump did not explain how he viewed his party's losses.

Midterm Results Raise the Political Stakes

Democrats' victories will allow them to challenge Trump's priorities and scrutinise his administration more closely during the remaining two years of his presidency.

When the new Congress convenes, the White House will face a legislature controlled by the opposition. Advancing major legislation could require negotiations with Democratic lawmakers, unlike when Republicans controlled both chambers.

Trump has also joked about the word 'loser'. Speaking at a question-and-answer session in Miami on 27 March, he said he liked spending time around people he described that way because it made him feel better, according to People. He later indicated that he was joking, although not entirely.

That earlier exchange put Trump himself at the centre of a joke about the word. On Friday, a reporter used the same familiar insult to ask about the Republicans' election losses. Trump left without responding.