In a major setback for President Trump in the US mid-term elections, Democrats have got a sweeping victory gaining a thumping majority in both the Congress and the Senate. There are multiple reasons that can be attributed to trump’s decisive defeat such as US-Iran war which was never approved by the American public at large, skyrocketing inflation hitting the Americans hard, draconian measures like indiscriminate economic tariffs imposed on different countries, thereby turning the international sentiments against Trump’s economic policies, etc., but the back-breaking inflation which the American people have faced, according to political analysts, seems to be at the heart of his defeat.
Historically speaking, President Trump’s defeat in the midterm elections is not something that has broken the past US midterm election traditions, or not experienced before, as only two US presidents have managed to win the midterm elections in the past since World War-II. American political history tells us that despite losing the midterm elections, the US presidents in the past have continued with the same powers and authority. So, President Trump too being no exception, is likely to continue with full executive powers and would continue with his current policies.
Although the midterm elections are an emphatic defeat with Democrats convincingly turning the tables on president Trump, yet he is not likely to budge even an inch from the strategic goals he has set for himself. Despite losing majority in both the houses, he will continue exercising executive powers heretofore. He will continue holding the office of president for the remaining period of his term with the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over his head all the time. However, he won’t be given a carte blanch by the Democrats to exercise executive powers arbitrarily, and his sweeping powers would be curtailed significantly. After he has lost the majority in both the Congress and the Senate, he has arguably, been reduced to a lame duck.
As for the war with Iran, given the volatile disposition which president Trump is famed for, it would be anybody’s guess to say something about his future war strategy. He may decide to go against Iran in a big way, or he may go for an absolute reconciliation, thus backtracking from his harsh stance vi-a-vis Iran in order to extricate the US from the jaws of war which has brought unimaginable economic miseries to the American people, nay, the entire world.
What an irony! A man who projected himself as a man of peace during the presidential elections campaign, promising to end US-Afghan war and establish peace, turned out to be a man of war when he decided to jump into another war of attrition with Iran despite consistent advices given by his friends not to get entangled with Iran which might prove to be another Vietnam and Afghanistan for the US. Who can forget when he scoffed at his predecessor during the presidential election campaigns for waging a war with Afghanistan, and promised to withdraw the American forces from Afghanistan after coming to power which he did, but failed to be a man of peace when he plunged the US into another war with Iran.
Following a crushing defeat at the hands of the Democrats, President Trump must be having a painful realization of his flawed policies he remained clung to till the end, turning a deaf ear to the advices of sincere friends and turning a blind eye to the realities on ground. He has certainly realized his mistake of going into war with Iran which he recently confessed while citing it to be a major reason for his defeat. It’s hoped that he will come to grips with the reality and review his political, economic, diplomatic and above all, the war policies. He needs to realize that he is walking a tightrope after losing the political battle.
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