WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump cast the midterm election as a "big victory" early Wednesday, choosing to relish Republican wins in the Senate and Florida's governor's race, even as he suffered a major political setback and will face an emboldened Democratic majority in the House for the first time in his presidency.
The new dynamic will increase Trump's leverage with Republicans, many of whom owe at least part of their victories to him. But it will also open the White House to heightened scrutiny, given that House Democrats will hold the power over the next two years to subpoena his tax returns and open investigations into a host of issues.
Democrats may also try to impeach him, though Trump's hold on the Senate would likely thwart any such effort.
It's not clear if Democrats in the House can find any common ground with the president on immigration and other White House policy priorities, although both sides have said they favor improving the nation's roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Trump spoke with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader from California who is hoping to become House speaker again under her party's new majority, early Wednesday and vowed in one of his early tweets to "get things done!"
He then suggested there's political upside for him in facing off with Pelosi, whom he has used as a foil to rally his supporters.
"In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats," Trump tweeted. "If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honor!"
Trump will reveal more of his thinking at a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, according to a tweet by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
In addition to setting his agenda, Trump could reveal which if any of his Cabinet members and advisors will leave the administration. Presidents often reset their administrations after midterm election losses and Trump's reset could be larger than usual.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is close to Trump, told NBC News that he expected Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign soon.
"I like Jeff, but this is just not working," Graham said.
Firing Sessions, who has long faced Trump's scorn for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, would likely open Trump to additional scrutiny. A new attorney general could move to take control of the probe, led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, and trim it or close it down, but House Democrats could expand their own investigation.
Trump has downplayed the House losses so far. He spent most of his time and energy in recent weeks in boosting Senate and gubernatorial candidates _ holding rallies in pivotal states _ an area where Republicans did relatively well.
"Received so many Congratulations from so many on our Big Victory last night, including from foreign nations (friends) that were waiting me out, and hoping, on Trade Deals," Trump tweeted. "Now we can all get back to work and get things done!"
Trump also tweeted congratulations to Ron DeSantis, a close ally who won the Florida governor's race, a boost for Trump in the 2020 presidential election in a state he visited several times in recent weeks.
Though Florida was a big prize, Democrats picked up at least seven governorships, including in Wisconsin and Michigan, Midwestern states that were pivotal to Trump's 2016 election.
The House losses, while expected, make the night a net loss for the president, whose party no longer controls both chambers.
Some votes have not yet been counted. But Democrats did far better Tuesday than they did in 2016 in total votes in races for the House, besting Republicans by a projected 7 to 8 percentage points.
They lost to Republicans by 1 percentage point in 2016. That swing of about 8 points would be one of the largest since the end of World War II, about on par with the swing to the GOP in 2010, according to Matt Grossmann, a political scientist at Michigan State University, who tracked and tweeted about the disparity as the results came in.
More than any president in recent memory, Trump made the election about his own tenure in the White House. On Wednesday, he was eager to turn that political reality into leverage with his own party, solidifying his takeover.
"Those that worked with me in this incredible Midterm Election, embracing certain policies and principles, did very well," Trump tweeted. "Those that did not, say goodbye! Yesterday was such a very Big Win, and all under the pressure of a Nasty and Hostile Media!"
Trump also foreshadowed an aggressive response to Democratic investigations on Wednesday with a naked vow to use the power of his office to retaliate against Congress, which has a constitutional responsibility to oversee the executive branch.
"If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level," he tweeted. "Two can play that game!"
As the results came in Tuesday night, Trump watched election results in the White House with political advisors, donors and friends. Fox News, the president's favorite media, was the first network to say Democrats had won control of the House.
Trump was joined by Corey Lewandowski, his former 2016 campaign manager, deputy campaign manager David Bossie, and 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale, according to a source with knowledge of the president's night.
All three aides have spent considerable time with Trump, joining him on Air Force One as he flew from red state to red state in recent weeks trying to mobilize supporters to help Republican candidates, and laying the groundwork for his own reelection campaign.
(Staff writer Eli Stokols and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.)
