-Abhishek Vij
Even before the midterm elections in America, political analysts were predicting that Trump and his party could face a crushing defeat in both houses, they could lose the majority in both houses and ultimately that is what happened. Donald Trump’s Republican Party has suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. The Democratic Party has won a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are a total of 435 seats in the House of Representatives, in which till the last news was received, the opposition Democratic Party had won 228 seats while Trump’s Republican Party had won 139 seats. Elections were held for 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate, in which till the last news was received, the Democratic Party had won 20 seats while the Republicans had won 13 seats. Results for 34 of the 36 state gubernatorial elections were announced, with Democrats winning 22 and Republicans winning 12. In a major blow to Trump, Democratic candidate Abdul Al-Sayed of Michigan, whom Trump had labeled a jihadist, not only won a landslide victory but also became the first Muslim senator in American history. Keisha Lance, who won the Georgia gubernatorial election, will become the first Black woman governor. Aaron Ford has also been elected the first Black governor of Nevada. Trump will also be irritated by the fact that women and young people voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats. Trump and his Republican Party made strenuous efforts to maintain their majority before the midterm elections, using the conflict with Iran as a trump card. An attempt was made to garner public support in the name of America First by adopting an aggressive stance towards Iran, but this strategy backfired. The American public is angry with Trump due to rising inflation and unemployment. Thousands were seen protesting against this on the streets. Now, given the opportunity to exercise their voting power, the public has shown Trump the mirror. However, despite this crushing defeat, Trump’s position will remain unaffected; he will remain in office for the next two years. Trump has implemented his controversial decisions in the past and will continue to use the power of the presidency in the future. The daily threats of tariffs to countries, declarations of destroying Iran, repeated rebukes to Ukraine and putting the American public in an economic vicious circle in an attempt to get his way did not go down well with the common citizens. The American public knows that Trump cannot become president for the third time, and Trump himself knows this, hence his attitude is as arrogant as before. This is undoubtedly not healthy politics, especially for a politician who is the head of the world’s biggest superpower. There is no end to Trump’s arrogance. Despite waging war, he wants the Nobel Peace Prize. He doesn’t shy away from repeatedly reiterating that he has stopped eight wars. He also takes credit for the IndoPak ceasefire. Trump repeatedly calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi his close friend, yet he hasn’t relented in imposing tariffs or penalties on India. Even now, Trump has threatened to impose a 100% penalty on India for purchasing oil from Russia. A shrewd businessman, Trump isn’t necessarily a shrewd politician. We can say that the US midterm elections have tarnished the luster of Trump, who changes his colors at any given moment.