Press in Russia, Ukraine, China, Qatar and South Korea reads the Democrats' Senate majority as a setback for Trump, with differing consequences for their own country

The news agency AP has projected a Democratic majority in the Senate since the early morning of 4 November 2026. Several major broadcasters also project a majority in the House of Representatives. Media in several countries report this in the first hour afterwards. Many read the result as a setback for Trump. Which consequences they expect depends heavily on their own country. These are projections, not an official final result.

Russia: gridlock at home, an open question on Iran. The business newspaper Vedomosti (4 November, Mikhail Belyaev and Roman Romanov) quotes the political scientist Malek Dudakov: Trump's domestic policy will be “finally stalled”. On Iran, the Democrats would hardly restrict Trump, but they could make dialogue with Moscow more difficult. The lecturer Dmitry Novikov counters that Ukraine policy runs through special envoys and hardly through Congress. The newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets (5:47 CET) headlines “Trump's collapse” and writes: “The war with Iran buried the Republicans in the election.” It refers to a report by Axios according to which Trump could return to large military strikes against Iran after a defeat. Neither paper is a state medium.

Ukraine: less room for Trump. ZN.ua (6:06 CET, Angelina Borets, based on the AP) writes that the majority ends the Republicans' dominance. This could limit Trump's ability “to implement his own plans”, including regarding the Supreme Court. The agency Interfax-Ukraine (5:55 CET) reports factually, according to the AP count, that the Democrats took six Senate seats from the Republicans. It draws no connection to Ukraine.

China: state media without judgment. The state agency Xinhua reports in a breaking news item at Sina (5:20 CET) in one sentence that, according to US media, the Democrats are regaining control of the Senate. The report contains no assessment of Trump.

Qatar: a rebuke for Trump's party. Al Jazeera (4 November, Al Jazeera Staff) writes that the result is “widely seen as a rebuke” to Trump's party. It is expected to end the Republicans' control of the White House and both chambers since the 2024 election.

South Korea: a verdict on economic policy. The newspaper Business Post (5:47 CET, Kim Yong-won), citing analyses by the agency Reuters, puts the cost of living and gasoline prices after the start of the Iran war in February in the foreground. It cites an exit poll in which 70 percent of respondents want stronger congressional oversight of the president. The business newspaper Financial News (6:00 CET, Park Jong-won) writes that a simultaneous recapture of both chambers would be the first in 20 years, if the projections are confirmed.

What the reports share is the focus on prices and the Iran war. The expectations diverge: Russian papers ask about Iran and relations with Moscow, Ukrainian ones about Trump's room to maneuver, Chinese state media make no judgment. The reports found did not comment on tariffs or NATO. No statements by governments of other countries on the result had been found by about 6:40 CET. The Chinese foreign ministry holds its press conference at 8:00 CET. These are the media's accounts and assessments. The tally is under Senate, the state of the night under election night.