US Midterms 2026: First polls close in elections to decide Donald Trump's fate

The first polls have closed in the 2026 US midterm elections, which will decide how Donald Trump will spend his remaining two years in office.

The US goes to the polls every two years to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, around a third of the country's senators, a number of governors and a range of other elected positions and ballot measures.

Right now, Mr Trump's Republicans hold both the House and Senate by slim margins, but if either were to become Democrat-run, it is likely to hamper the White House significantly.

The Senate, the US’s upper chamber, is held 53-47 by the right-wing party, and the House 219-214, with two vacancies.

Midterms are seen as a referendum on the current President, and, in Mr Trump's own words, "the sitting president doesn't win the midterms".

In the weeks before today's election, the Commander-in-Chief held a series of rallies throughout the US, hoping to keep control of the Senate, and has pledged to give every American $5,000 if the Republicans maintain control of both Chambers.

Key Senate races in Michigan, Texas, and Ohio, could decide how Mr Trump spends his next two years in office.

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President Trump says United States has 'no immediate plans' to strike Iran

The United States has no immediate plans to strike Iran, President Donald Trump told the Financial Times.

In an interview with the FT on Tuesday, Trump suggested he was content with the state of the stand-off with Iran.

“We seem to be getting everything we want,” Trump said in the six-minute telephone interview.