Former President Donald Trump says he's celebrating wins by scores of candidates he endorsed for the midterms. He also denied "fake" media reports he was angry over greater than anticipated Democrat performance.
And he told Fox News he had no plans to postpone a major announcement next week about his 2024 plans – he's widely expected to roll out his plan to seek reelection.
In his interview Wednesday, Trump touted the 200-plus "great" Republican candidates who emerged victorious during the midterms. He characterized the overall Election Night experience as a "tremendous success."
"There is a fake news narrative that I was furious — it is just the opposite," said Trump, likely alluding to a New York Times reporter claiming the former president was "furious" over the endorsement of Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz (who lost to Sen.-Elect John Fetterman), and allegedly blaming the former first lady, Melania Trump, on that selection.
"The people I endorsed did very well. I was batting 98.6% in the primaries, and 216-19 in the general election — that is amazing," said Trump.
That record could rise to 219 endorsement wins, if Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt, and Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka keep trending toward victories in their respective races.
"All these guys that are winning are my people," quipped Trump to Fox.
The Trump-backed Senate success stories include: Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Missouri Senator-Elect Eric Schmitt, and Ohio Senator-Elect JD Vance.
On Monday night, a last-minute rally in Ohio, Trump teased that he would be making a "major" announcement from Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15. It is anticipated he'll definitively say he's running again for the presidency.
Some pundits have questioned whether Tuesday's election results for Republicans, which amounted to less than a red wave, would change Trump's plans to launch a third White House bid. He has even been asked if it might be better to hold off on his election plan and first get fully involved in the important runoff Senate race next month in Georgia.
"We had tremendous success," Trump told Fox News Digital. "Why would anything change?"
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.