The Democrats won a massive victory in the 2026 elections, and they will take control of both houses of Congress in January. They will have large majorities, and Mr. Trump will no longer have a passive legislature that rubber stamps his actions and ignores his violations of the Constitution. In case anyone has forgotten, the President cannot declare war without the consent of Congress, which he did not get from the House of Representatives, even though it was controlled by Republicans. Yet he has been fighting with Iran, destabilizing the Middle East, and spending huge sums with little to show for it. Corruption in the White House is also an issue, notably a great deal of insider trading and profitable deals for the Trump family. It looks like he may have made more money while president than all previous presidents combined. There are many other things that might be investigated.
After losing so decisively and with so many areas of potential conflict, a wise president would look for ways to work together with the legislature, rather than seek confrontation. But it is clear that the rump of the Republican Party that remains will be aggressively seeking to push their agenda. The new leader of the Republican minority, Mr. Jorden, was once a wrestler, and he is likely going to do all he can to stall the legislature and posture as a patriot defending America against non-existent radical extremists. In the White House, Mr Trump has begun to claim that the election was have been rigged, and as usual makes outrageous statements without a shred of proof. It seems likely that, as usual, Mr. Trump will prefer battle to compromise. He loves to play the victim, and then call for retribution. But the American people clearly are tired of bullying, lies, and theatrics. Tired of broken promises. This would-be emperor has no clothes.
This situation is likely to be more than unpleasant. The Democrats have a magnificent opportunity to revive the power of Congress. They will need to be vigilant and tough to wrestle with Mr. Jordan and they must be prepared for more lies and illegal actions from Mr Trump and his second-rate cabinet of incompetents. The Democrats must find a way to get some business done for the American voters who have given up on the Republicans.
The great danger? Gridlock. Two years of anger and drift, without vitally needed improvements in health care, civil rights, education, the environment, housing, foreign policy, the rule of law, and the cost of living. Not to mention the failure of the tax system to come even remotely close to the cost of the national budget. If the government fails to act, economic inequality will continue to rise.
And as if all this were not enough, AI threatens to disrupt the workforce and drive up unemployment, or perhaps, so experts warn, it will escape control and destroy mankind. But that is the subject for another post.
