Trump wins Republican trifecta as GOP retains house majority

Republicans held on to their narrow majority in the US House, giving Donald Trump and his party unified control of the elected branches of government and limiting potential curbs on the incoming president's power.

The Republican sweep, called by CNN and NBC News on Wednesday, sharply diminishes any hope for Democrats to curtail Trump's sway over next year's big fights over trillions of dollars in expiring tax provisions. Trump wants to extend cuts approved during his first term and add new ones he promised on the campaign trail.

Trump's grip over the so-called Washington trifecta, having earlier won the majority of the Senate, also strengthens the party's hand to enact immigration controls and reduce regulations on Wall Street and the energy industry.

The president-elect travelled to Washington on Wednesday and met with House Republicans, where he endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson to retain his leadership post.

"Isn't it nice to win?" Trump said at the lawmakers' gathering at the Hyatt Regency in Washington. "It's always nice to win."

The GOP will hold at least 218 seats in the 435-member chamber starting January. With Trump in the White House, lowering budget deficits and government debt aren't likely to be prioritised.

The Republican win also removes the threat of congressional investigation of Trump's actions by Democrats. During his first term, the House impeached him twice, although he was never convicted by the Senate.

David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington next year will be the only two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. (Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana will be the only remaining Republicans who voted to convict Trump.)

The House outcome also has broad ramifications for foreign policy, adding further doubt to continued US aid to Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasion. Many Republicans in the House have opposed additional military aid for Ukraine.

However, the House Republican majority will be razor-thin and intra-party divisions threaten unified actions.

The current slim majority was beset by ideological squabbles that enabled a few conservative rebels to tie scuttle legislation with any hint of compromise with Democrats. In the end, that often forced party leaders to make bigger concessions to Democrats to gain votes from the opposition.

Trump may have more leverage with recalcitrant conservative hardliners, particularly with measures that are a priority for his administration.

Later on Wednesday, House Republicans approved a rule aimed at averting another public ouster of the speaker for the next Congress, raising the threshold to advance a motion to vacate from one lawmaker to nine.

Johnson was elected House speaker in October last year after a handful of rebels ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.

Though Johnson angered some Republican lawmakers by relying on Democratic votes to avert government shutdowns, his colleagues' reelection campaigns benefited from money he raised for them.