Steve Kerr Drops Donald Trump Joke After Midterm Results

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr ended his routine media availability the day after the 2026 midterm elections with a joke about President Donald Trump's unfulfilled campaign promise.

"What no questions on the election? I'm surprised," Kerr said during his Wednesday press conference.

"I'm disappointed, because I was looking forward to that $5,000 check that we were all gonna get," he added, according to the California Post's Evan Webeck.

Kerr then said he had already spent the money and would now "have to figure something out."

The joke referred to a specific pledge Trump made in the final days before Election Day.

In September, at the GOP's midterm convention in Dallas, Trump first announced a proposal to send every adult American citizen a $5,000 check if Republicans maintained control of Congress.

He repeated the promise in his last speech before the polls opened.

The payment was conditional on Republicans keeping the House and Senate.

That condition was not met.

Projections showed Democrats winning full control of both chambers of Congress, taking effect in January 2027.

Republicans had entered Election Day with a 53-47 Senate majority and a 219-214 House majority.

Even before the results were final, the joke was already circulating.

Fox News host Jesse Watters said on air, "I don't think we're going to get our $5,000 checks."

Kerr's line echoed that same punchline.

Kerr is a longtime critic of President Trump.

He has spoken out repeatedly on issues ranging from gun safety to election integrity.

In 2024, he endorsed Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention.

At the time, he acknowledged that speaking out about politics "comes with risks."

The reaction to his political comments has never been one-sided.

After his remarks following the 2024 presidential election, some critics responded with fury on social media.

One person wrote that Kerr "should be ashamed of himself."

Supporters see an NBA coach who uses his platform to say what he believes.

Critics argue that sports figures should stay out of politics entirely.

That same divide shaped the discussion of Wednesday's remark.

By Kerr's standards, this joke was light.

He did not name Trump in the quote.

He did not discuss specific policies.

He did not endorse any party.

His comment touched on a campaign promise that became the subject of widespread mockery after the results came in.

The midterm results themselves were a dramatic reversal of expectations.

Republicans had entered the cycle confident of holding their majorities.

Instead, Democrats swept both chambers.

President Trump stayed bunkered in the White House in the wake of the defeat, according to reports.

Senior Democrats began planning to target members of the Trump administration with impeachment once they take control of Congress in January.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is expected to be the first target, over his leadership in the Iran war.

House member Thomas Massie has pledged to push ahead with an Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Among Republicans, a post-mortem is underway to assign blame for the party's wipeout.

JD Vance's attempt to distinguish himself from Trump on Wednesday morning landed with little impact, according to political observers.

Many in Washington now consider Vance too tainted by his association with the administration.

Newt Gingrich said the midterm result takes "a good bit of the luster" off Vance as a candidate.

"The scale of the Republican defeat is so great that it makes the race for the GOP presidential nomination wide open," Gingrich added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another presumed frontrunner for 2028, has been conspicuously absent and silent this week.

The State Department denied reports that Rubio is preparing to resign to launch a presidential run.

For markets, the question is whether Trump will double down on unpopular trade wars or change course.

"There are two paths Trump can go down — he can double down on unpopular trade wars or he can listen to the electorate and change course," said Adam Button, chief currency analyst at investingLive.

An early sign of Trump's direction could come with the fate of Pete Hegseth.

When asked about replacing Hegseth, Trump said, "No, I think he's doing a very good job."

Trump has said similar things before replacing staff, so the comment may not be final.

George H.W. Bush fired Donald Rumsfeld the day after the 2006 midterms, in part due to the unpopular Iran war.