Trump upbeat despite setback
Donald Trump faces greater restraints on his presidency after the Democrats won control of the US House of Representatives and pledged to hold the president accountable after a tumultuous two years in the White House.
Trump and his fellow Republicans expanded their control of the US Senate in the midterm elections, following a divisive campaign marked by fierce clashes over race and immigration.
But they lost their majority in the House, a setback for Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership.
With some races still undecided, the Democrats were headed for a gain of more than 30 seats, beyond the 23 they needed to claim their first majority in the 435-member House in eight years.
Seizing the Senate had never looked a likely prospect for the Democrats, and in the event they fell short of a tidal wave of voter support that would have given them control of both chambers of Congress.
Winning a Senate majority would have allowed the Democrats to apply the brakes even more firmly on Trump’s policy agenda and given them the ability to block any future Supreme Court nominees.
However, the Democrats will now head House committees that can investigate the president’s tax returns, possible business conflicts of interest and possible links between his 2016 election campaign and Russia.
The Democrats could also force Trump to scale back his legislative ambitions, possibly dooming his promises to fund a border wall with Mexico, pass a second major tax-cut package, or carry out his hardline policies on trade.
“Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about restoring the constitution’s checks and balances to the Trump administration,” Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House Democrats, told supporters at a victory party.
Despite his party’s poor showing in House elections, Trump wrote on Twitter: “Tremendous success tonight.”
Trump had hardened his rhetoric in recent weeks on issues that appealed to his conservative core supporters.
He threw himself into the campaign, issuing warnings about a caravan of Latin American migrants headed to the border with Mexico and condemnations of liberal American “mobs” who he says oppose him.
The party with the presidency often loses seats in the House in midterm elections.
Former President Barack Obama’s Democrats suffered what he called a “shellacking” in congressional elections in 2010.
With divided leadership in Congress and a president who has taken an expansive view of executive power, Washington could be in store for even deeper political polarisation and legislative gridlock.
Financial markets often favour Washington gridlock because it preserves the status quo and reduces uncertainty, even though many in the market this time around had been hoping for a continuation of the Republican agenda.
Wall Street was set for a modestly firmer opening on Wednesday and global stocks rose after the election results.
The fact that House gains for Democrats may rule out further tax cuts sent the dollar and treasury yields sharply lower.
Losing the House will test Trump’s ability to compromise, something he has shown little interest in over the last two years with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress.
There may be some room to work with Democrats on issues with bipartisan support such as an infrastructure improvement package or protections against increases in prescription drug prices.
“We will have a responsibility to find our common ground, where we can stand our ground, where we can’t,” Pelosi, who has been one of the most frequent targets for Trump’s scathing attacks on his critics and political opponents, said.
House Democrats are expected to try to harden US policy toward Saudi Arabia, Russia and North Korea, and maintain the status quo on areas like China and Iran.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it saw no prospects for an improvement in relations with the US following the elections.
In Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it would be wrong to expect policy change from Trump.
The Senate gains are sure to bolster the party’s efforts to get conservative federal judges through confirmation proceedings during a “lame duck” session that starts next week, as well as from January when the new Congress convenes.
In the 36 gubernatorial contests, Democrats won governorships in states that supported Trump in 2016, but lost high-profile races in Florida and Ohio.
Most Democratic candidates in tight races stayed away from harsh criticism of Trump during the midterm campaign’s final stretch, focusing instead on bread-and-butter issues like maintaining insurance protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions, and safeguarding the Social Security retirement and Medicare healthcare programmes for senior citizens.
The Democratic gains were fuelled by women, young and Hispanic voters, a Reuters/Ipsos Election Day poll found.
Democrats turned out to register disapproval of Trump’s divisive rhetoric and policies on such issues as immigration and his travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.
A record number of women ran for office this election, many of them Democrats.