The aftershocks of last week’s midterm elections are still being felt by Senate Republicans, but another political reality is beginning to set in: The GOP may not regain control of the chamber for years to come.

This year’s Senate map was, initially, favorable to Republicans in their quest to maintain and possibly grow their 53-seat majority in the Senate. But the next election cycle’s map in 2028 is tough, perhaps even insurmountable, for Republicans to conquer.

The Senate GOP’s newly minted campaign chief, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, acknowledged that the map to reclaim the majority in 2028 is “very tough.”

Democrats only have three incumbents up for re-election in battleground states, while Republicans have to defend seats in a slew of once-safe, deep-red states, including both Carolinas, Kansas and Iowa, among several others.

His home state, which just turned a shade of purple with Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown’s victory over Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is in play again, too.

Moreno, when asked to sketch a 30,000-foot view of what the future fight for power would look like, told Fox News Digital that Republicans had “dealt with tough situations before.”

“Look, it is an absolutely brutal map, but, politics, things change pretty quickly,” Moreno said. “So we’ll see how it is, but we’re gonna be extraordinarily disciplined, we’re gonna be extremely honest with our data. We [will] make certain that we hold our incumbents and our candidates accountable, and we’re gonna make an appeal to donors as to how we should win.”

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Others were less optimistic.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2024 campaign, when Republicans flipped the Senate, compared the situation to getting down early in a baseball game: Republicans would have to “chip away” at Democrats’ lead, but it would take time.

“Now the Democrats can’t help themselves, but they’ll overreach in the next couple of years,” Daines told Fox News Digital. “They’ll be out of step with where America is, and they’ll provide an opportunity for us to win some Senate seats. But I think this will take a few cycles before we’ll probably get back to the majority if I have to honestly interject and look at it.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who had just secured his position as the incoming minority leader after weathering a marathon venting session from Senate Republicans who are disgruntled and frustrated after the midterms, agreed that Democrats could overreach and create a “different shooting match” for Republicans.

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But history has a way of repeating itself.

Thune shared the anecdote of how when he first arrived in the Senate in 2005, Republicans had clinched a 55-seat majority — “the high watermark for Republicans in the Senate, historically,” he told Fox News Digital.

“We were very bullish about getting to 60 for the first time and having a filibuster-proof majority for the first time ever for Republicans in the Senate in 2006,” Thune said. “And by 2006, we were back in the minority.”

“The map matters for sure, but the mood of the country also really matters,” he continued. “And there are a number of races this next cycle that have historically elected Republicans. Now there’s Democrats sitting in those seats now, but every cycle is a little bit different, and as we saw this time around, the mood was moving against us.”

The blowout losses across the map for Republicans do open up an opportunity for the next two years: running for their states and themselves, not for Trump, given that his time in office is winding down.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose home state flipped after his decision to retire last year, and who has become a vocal critic of the administration, argued that 2028 was likely out of reach for Republicans and said the environment wouldn’t be ripe again until “at least 2030.”

When asked if during the meeting that led to the eventual re-election of Thune as leader there was any reflection on the impact that Trump and his administration’s unpopularity with voters had, Tillis said, “I think there’s probably a growing awareness of what I warned folks about in April of last year.”

“And it wasn’t really having that feedback loop,” Tillis told Fox News Digital. “And I think we’ll probably see a much healthier, more productive, more beneficial to the president feedback loop, where these people realize their performance is going to be what’s going to be the driving force behind their re-elect.”

“That’s for the ones here,” he continued. “And absent that, you know, I don’t see any pickups. So I think everybody has to be realistic.”

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday awarded a medal to the Army soldier who reprimanded him and his entourage at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after laughter was heard from the group on Veterans Day.

“We love soldiers. We love standards,” Hegseth wrote Thursday in a post on X. “Well done, Specialist.”

“Carry on Patriots,” he added.

A Pentagon official confirmed to Fox News Digital in a Thursday statement that Hegseth had “proudly” awarded Spc. Thomas Iglesias the medal for “the execution of his duties.”

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“As shown in the photos, Secretary Hegseth welcomed the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, to the Pentagon where he proudly awarded Specialist Thomas Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026,” the official said.

The Joint Service Commendation Medal is awarded to members of the military who distinguish themselves through meritorious achievement or service, typically while serving in joint military operations or activities.

The award comes after video from Wednesday showed Iglesias reminding visitors to remain silent and maintain decorum after laughter was heard as Hegseth and his entourage walked away from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier following a Veterans Day ceremony.

“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the soldier commanded to the entourage at the time.

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Following the incident on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told CBS News that Hegseth and “the entire Department have always honored-and will always honor-the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe.”

“While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” Parnell added.

The United Nations reconfirmed Iran to its seat on the Committee for Programme and Coordination on Wednesday, sparking outrage from member states who believe the country’s record of aggression should disqualify its representatives from the committee’s work to review human rights, women’s rights and counterterrorism programs.

Ahead of the vote, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a human rights watchdog, said he believes the move gives Iran another tool for the regime’s propaganda machine.

“They use it,” Neuer said. “You’ll see a headline in Iranian propaganda right away: ‘Hey, look, we were elected to yet another body.’ And it sends a signal… As they’re killing their own people, what does the world have to say?”

Neuer believes Iran’s continued spot on the committee gives Tehran a nod of international legitimacy amid its ongoing conflict with the U.S., showcasing the U.N.’s uneven record for creating a forum to deter international violence.

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“Sometimes [the U.N.] is effective. Sometimes they’re not. Sometimes, even when they’re effective, they’re effective in a bad way. There’s an effect, but it’s to empower dictatorships,” Neuer said.

“The U.N. spends a lot of its time attacking democracies like America, like Israel. America gets condemned every year for the embargo in Cuba. Last year, there was one resolution on Iran, one on North Korea, one on Myanmar — and 15 on Israel. And Hamas, Islam and jihad were never mentioned once. That happens a lot at the U.N.”

Iran was reconfirmed with the support of 144 ballots cast by the U.N. General Assembly.

The Committee for Programme and Coordination consists of 34 member states, each of which is elected to the body for a three-year term. Although it is not one of the U.N.’s six main committees, it reviews the organization’s plans and priorities, making recommendations on their design, priorities, coordination and effectiveness.

Iran’s renewal to the post prompted an outcry from lawmakers in the U.S. on Tuesday afternoon.

“The United Nations elected Iran — the world’s biggest exporter of terrorism — to the committee responsible for establishing priorities on disarmament, counterterrorism and women’s rights,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote in a statement posted to X.

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“The United Nations is morally bankrupt: no sane person can take it seriously.”

Similarly, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand issued her own statement condemning the move.

“Canada is steadfastly opposed to giving Iran a seat on the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination — and Canada voted against Iran’s inclusion today at the UN. The committee should be comprised of countries entrusted with shaping the work of the United Nations and must uphold the principles of its Charter. The Iranian regime silences dissent at home and fuels instability across the Middle East. We stand with the people of Iran,” Anand said.

Notably, Australia also joined the opposition, voting alongside Canada against Iran’s confirmation.

“Australia strongly opposes Iran’s nomination to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination and voted against. Iran’s human rights violations and destabilizing conduct undermine multilateralism,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote.

Neuer believes it’s not just Western countries that will be watching how the U.N. treats Iran. He noted that aggressors constantly monitor the international field to get a sense of how it might react in the future.

“It’s like Putin looks when Obama said we ‘have a red line in Syria. Use chemical weapons — red line.’ Well, Syria used chemical weapons. And Obama… did nothing. That sent a message. Shortly thereafter, Putin invaded Ukraine. I’m not saying that invasions are gonna happen the next day, but these things send messages, and constantly governments are taking the temperature. What is the pushback?” Neuer said.

He also observed that although many in the U.S. view the U.N. with some skepticism, other countries still use the group as a barometer of international consensus.

“The United Nations is considered for many a repository of international legitimacy; it may not be so in the United States… but in many parts of the world it is regarded as the arbiter of international legitimacy,” Neuer said.

IRAN IS NOT A NORMAL NATION YOU CAN MAKE DEALS WITH; IT’S A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT

“What is the signal you’re giving to the ayatollah regime? They murdered tens of thousands of people. They’re hanging dissidents. They are torturing women who defend their right not to cover every piece of their hair. They beat political prisoners. What message does the world have to send? Did you give them a pat on the back? Or did you? Did you penalize them?”