Epaper
Voters in the United States meted out a harsh punishment to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party as Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives and the Senate decisively with numbers far beyond the wildest poll projections.
They may end up with 256 seats, according to NBC News projections, in the 435-member House, giving a margin of 81 seats, and at least 54 places in the Senate, a lead of four in the 100-member Senate.
Trump campaigned in 2024 with promises of bringing down prices and making life more affordable.
But back in power, he instead seized on grandiose ideas of a legacy like using tariffs to “make America great again”, launching an attack on Iran for a regime change, and beautifying the White House and Washington.
They ran counter to his promise to the electorate.
The US President posted on Truth Social as the news of the rout poured in, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE”!
But his larger-than-life presence that overwhelmed the Republican Party blurring the line between him and the organisation, has been punctured by the party’s dismal performance in true red states, the indefatigably Republican ones, like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
In Kansas, Adam Hamilton ended almost a century of Republican monopoly of the Senate, becoming the first Democrat elected after 95 years.
The election of Hina Hinojosa as Texas Governor broke a 36-year Republican run.
Making the defeats personal for him were the rout of his hand-picked candidates for Senate like Ken Paxton, who had been impeached by the Texas House on bribery charges, but acquitted by the Senate, and Susan Graham, the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham.
With the myth of power over the electorate broken, the question is whether more in Trump’s party would defy him and act independently.
The few who showed even mild signs of independence, like Texas Senator John Cornyn, were punished.
Now more could be emboldened to act freely and criticise Trump’s actions like the tariff war, the disastrous Iran conflict or his flirtations with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in his last two years as President, that have cost the party dearly.
Trump threatened in a CBS News interview on Tuesday, while the elections were in progress, to be “Mr Veto”, shooting down Democratic Congress legislation, expecting them to tire of it and make a deal.
But as the news of the defeats poured in, he told Politico, “I don’t wanna be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything”.
Extending an olive branch, he said, “We’re going to work with the Democrats to make sure things go well for our country”.
While there are fears that he may go on a rampage given his rhetoric about his foes at home and abroad, the massive scale of the defeats, which gave the Democrats not just a passable majority, but a significant one, may constrain him.
An early test would be how he now deals with Iran, the source of his woes that he had threatened to annihilate.
He claimed in the Politico interview that Democrats have “already called and they want to work with” him.
But Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Party leader in the House and the likely Speaker, was defiant.
“We understand as House Democrats we need to deliver dramatic change”, he said.
“Things are broken. We need a Congress that puts the American people first”, he said.
Unfired Iran missile took Trump down, let the pumps weigh less on purses now.
It’s a big lesson for any ruler. Trump came to power because of Biden/Harris Administration failures. He got carried away. When Economy is crumbling, going to war is a blunder. Today Iran won their war against him. Economy, Jobs, Food, Gas are major factors behind his party’s crushing defeat. He even mentioned act like I am on the ballot. People rejected him outright. Just like Gajan mentioning about him during 2024 elections. Behaving like Brahmanandam in Dookudu movie requesting for votes based on his performance. Voters believed Immigration and ICE are doing well. But said country’s economy is based on immigrants. It’s a lesson for ruling party. If you don’t work for people you will get a slap on face. Two more years to go to correct mistakes.
This election is a big lesson for anyone in power.
Trump returned to power partly because of public dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration. But after winning, he seems to have gotten carried away.
When people are struggling with the economy, jobs, grocery bills, and gas prices, getting involved in foreign wars raises serious questions about priorities. The conflict with Iran has only added to the debate about his administration’s decisions.
The election results suggest that economic concerns played a major role in voter dissatisfaction. Trump even told voters to act as though he was on the ballot. In that sense, the results can also be seen as a message about his leadership.
It reminds me of Jagan’s approach during the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections, asking people to vote based on his performance. It is almost like Brahmanandam’s comedy scene in Dookudu, asking people to judge him by his performance! 😂
Immigration is another interesting issue. Voters may support immigration enforcement and ICE operations while also recognizing that immigrants make an important contribution to America’s economy. Supporting immigration enforcement doesn’t mean people are willing to overlook problems affecting their daily lives.
The message to any ruling party is simple: Don’t take voters for granted. Winning an election doesn’t give anyone a free pass for the next four years. People expect results, especially on the issues that affect their families.
There are still two years before the next presidential election. That gives the administration time to review its priorities, correct mistakes, and rebuild public confidence.
In a democracy, voters have the final say. If those in power fail to meet public expectations, the ballot box gives people an opportunity to hold them accountable.
This joker’s downfall has begun, his h1b/f1 policies will go into dustbin soon
For people like Trump and Modi to the power Bin Laden is responsible, partly and the Rightist parties popularity in Europe. While the ascent of Modi is some what credible in that he is a bottom up man and also being nationalistic with Bin Landen factor providing some impetus to his ride which may possibly continue due to unique situation of India. But the rise of Trump is somewhat fortuitous because he is a hollow personality by all accounts by being also not a bottom up guy,a blatant defector from Democratic party and with a limited personal character , all of which were camouflaged due to the anti islamic sentiment which turned in to a broader anti immigrant sentiment with the embarrassing embracement of a man with such limited family values as his populistic MAGA slogan appealed to the Status Quo seeking people with machoism personified. Trump lived in a some what of an eccentric self by getting carried away with the mandate of 2024 which was more of an Anti Kamala than for him overwhelmingly and for a man of such hallowness, it is natural for him to be populistic to appeal to a group people of whose family values he doesnt really represent and yet the relationship continued in a fake mutual flattery and the bubble somewhat burst. And he had the temerity to overstep by advising the European countries on immigration as if the that is the reason to their perceived(or real) decline. Some of the issues raised are relevant and will be a focus even if Democrats Ascend, but surely Republican party embracing Trump turned out be a mistake and many of them already disowned to the run up this election.Now, the message to the party is clear. Irrespective of this ,cycles are common in politics and this is not a permanent victory to Democrates to be not discreet in Immigration policy and external intervensions
The difference between SI and AI is StartUp Scripts:
The Goal for every Domain Specific AI Model. God Bless America.