Washington DC may grind to a screeching halt as the president wields the ultimate power of the veto, while the Democrats have the vote on their side<\/p>\n
On nearly all of the political fronts, the Republicans under Trump are in a steady retreat, backing away from core policies that have outraged their base and empowered the Democrats with an army of new supporters. The\u00a0GOP suffered an extraordinary midterm repudiation \u2013 losing not just the House and Senate, but statewide offices in red states, from Texas to Kansas to South Carolina, that Democrats hadn\u2019t won in decades.
\nExactly how deep the humiliating loss was for the MAGA camp became clear in a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday. The American leader conceded that his deportation policy \u201cmight be too tough\u201d and that he would \u201clove to do something on immigration\u201d with the Democrats about to take over Congress, he told the news program in his first interview since the midterms.
\nAsked by CBS correspondent Ross Douthat whether the crackdown damaged Republicans in the midterms, Trump was ambivalent: \u201cI think it both helped and hurt. I think I got an A+ for closing up the border. I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out.\u201d\u00a0\u201cBut I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs that created one violation for breaking of the law. And that was that they came into the country illegally.\u201d
\nDouthat then asked: \u201cSo you think your deportation policy went too far?\u201d\u00a0\u201cIt was too tough,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think it might be too tough. Yeah.\u201d
\nHe said the deal he has in mind with Democrats is \u201csomething that\u2019s actually doable\u201d: \u201csome kind of legal status for the landscapers,\u201d and for people like a hotel maid or waitress who are suddenly \u201ctaken out of the country.\u201d\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s tough,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a tough thing.\u201d
\nTrump admitted that the hardcore far-right group inside of his administration would like everybody removed, while others are \u201cmore modified on that\u201d: \u201cget the killers out, get all the rough ones out, get the drug dealers out. But let the people that are here, and in some cases here for 10 and 15 years, work a deal for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Republicans got Trumped. So now what?<\/p>\n
In a positive sign for dual party border cooperation, self-described \u201cborder security Democrat\u201d James Talarico expressed his willingness to cross the aisle and work directly with Donald Trump to fix the border.
\nTalarico is the first Democrat to win a US Senate election in Texas since 1988 and will become the youngest US Senator; he has stated that he is eager to work with the Trump administration on immigration reform.
\nIn February 2026, Talarico said he supported the Dignity Act, a proposed bipartisan immigration reform bill. In a January 2026 debate, he called for the increase in funding for ICE during the Trump administration to be diverted to other services. In a shocking move for a Democrat, Talarico has harshly criticized former US President Joe Biden\u2019s border policy, saying it \u201ccreated chaos in our border communities.\u201d
\nHowever, there already appears to be a fly in the ointment as Trump, just one hour after his conversation with 60 Minutes, replaced his chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, the aggressive architect of the controversial immigrant policy.
\n\u201cWe are being conquered,\u201d border czar Miller told Fox News in 2023.
\n\u201cSo, a generation from now, I am telling you \u2026 people will not know the country that they are living in. These consequences are permanent. Unless there\u2019s massive large-scale deportations by the millions, it will be irrevocable.\u201d It will be very interesting to see if Miller is able to tame his strong sentiments in order to come to a meeting ground with the Democrats on the question of amnesty for immigrants.
\nAnother political hotspot that will require a high degree of understanding and cooperation between the Democrats and the Republicans is the war in Iran, which continues to smolder in the background.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
The midterm blue wave just made 2028 a lot more interesting<\/p>\n
Israel, an allied friend of the Trump administration,\u00a0has played no small part in this process. According to the Financial Times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Trump to carry out further strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections. Observers note that a continuation of the conflict could aid Netanyahu\u2019s domestic political standing after his coalition lost its parliamentary majority.
\nNeedless to say, Netanyahu has shown no concern whatsoever for the damage the war in Iran has caused for the Republicans in general and Trump in particular. Israel is attempting to restart the war during an open window of opportunity between now and when the Democrats assume power in January.
\nJust like their MAGA opponents, the Democrats are adamantly opposed to the war and will have\u00a0ample ability to scuttle the US military once they take over both houses of Congress next year.
\nDemocrats are looking to bring President Trump\u2019s war with Iran to a halt once they retake the majority. Senate Democrats say they have some Republican support to end the conflict, which has dragged on for more than eight months, and have threatened to use the \u201cpower of the purse\u201d to deprive the Pentagon of funds needed to wage the war.
\nBoth the US leader and Vice President J.D. Vance singled out the Iran war as the main reason for why Republicans experienced an electoral blowout, with Democrats taking the majority in the House, Senate, governors\u2019 mansions and statehouses.
\n\u201cWe are going to end the war. We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war, and the Founding Fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Republicans lose Congress, but Trumpism is far from finished<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Trump, aware of the damage that the military conflict did to his base with the 2028 presidential election fast approaching, has declared his hesitation in restarting a hot war with the Islamic state.
\n\u201cThe answer is highly unlikely it\u2019s going to be necessary. They\u2019re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation. Highly unlikely it will be necessary. I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don\u2019t know how hard I hit them.\u201d
\nFinally, there is the question of inflation in food and gas prices. The war with Iran is a primary driver of the current affordability crisis, significantly inflating the cost of living for consumers through energy shocks, higher borrowing rates, and supply chain disruptions.
\nAccording to Moody\u2019s Analytics, the conflict has cost US consumers hundreds of billions of dollars, translating to roughly $2,000 to $2,150 in added expenses for the average American household, which explains the Republican Party\u2019s extraordinary losses on November 3.
\nThe American people on both the right and left spoke loud and clear during the midterm elections, and it would be heedless and rash of the Trump administration to continue with war and anti-immigration business as usual. The political costs are simply too high.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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