Kathmandu [Nepal], November 4 – US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has suffered a major setback after opposition Democrats secured majorities in both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
According to the Associated Press, Democrats gained at least seven Senate seats previously held by Republicans winning contests in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. They also secured a majority in the House of Representatives ending Republican control of both chambers.
The results could make Trump’s remaining two years in office more politically challenging giving Democrats greater power to scrutinise administration policies, investigate government activities and push their legislative agenda.
The possibility of a third impeachment effort against Trump has also resurfaced. He was impeached twice in 2019 and 2021 but was acquitted by the Senate on both occasions.
Trump acknowledged that the Iran war and rising fuel prices had hurt his party’s electoral performance saying higher petrol and diesel costs had frustrated voters. He also criticised Fox News for giving Democratic leaders greater airtime.
Meanwhile, Democrat Deb Haaland made history by becoming the first Indigenous woman elected governor of a US state, winning in New Mexico.
The election outcome is expected to intensify political confrontation between the White House and Congress during Trump’s remaining term.
