A bloody nose for the president but Democrats must be careful not to misinterpret the results

The US gave Donald Trump a bloody nose.

- David Smith

On the first big election night since Trump swept back into power, the results were better than Democrats could have dared hope for.

Zohran Mamdani stormed to a convincing victory over the Trump-endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the race for mayor of New York, while Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won the governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia by double-digit percentages.

And the blue wave kept coming. California voters have approved new congressional district boundaries as Democrats seek to fight back against Republican redistricting efforts before next year's battle for the House of Representatives.

Democrats retained three crucial seats on the Pennsylvania supreme court. In the Virginia state legislature, House Democrats flipped 13 seats for their biggest majority in nearly 40 years.

The results were in part a referendum on Trump, whose approval rating has never been lower. His authoritarian grandstanding is a show of weakness rather than strength.

From ICE raids and tariffs to his $300m (£230m) White House ballroom, his presidency is deeply unpopular. Are you better off than you were a year ago? Voters say no.