Trump will have other ideas
AI generated
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Trump → have → ideas
US President Donald Trump’s second term has been a wild ride, but his last two years in power could be wilder still if Republicans lose control of Congress in Nov 3’s midterm elections.
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Republicans → lose → elections
From renewed military action against Iran to election challenges and fightbacks against Democratic investigations, Trump’s post-midterms playbook could involve disruption on all fronts.
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playbook → renew → fronts
Analysts warn that Trump as a “lame duck” president could be the most vengeful Trump of all.
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Trump → warn → all
“I’m sceptical that President Trump will go quiet into that good night,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, told AFP.
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Loge → ’m → AFP
“There is nothing in history that says he will say ‘I’ve been beaten, my time is over.’
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time → be → history
Every time Trump has been backed into a corner, he has shouted more and come out fighting.”
Vetoes and vengeance
Trump has always viewed himself as a fighter.
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Trump → back → fighter
He has been clear he will take the same approach if Democrats win one or both chambers of Congress.
“If we didn’t win, I veto everything” in any Democratic legislative agenda, Trump told the New York Post.
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Trump → take → Post
The White House says it is also ready to fight back against whatever investigations – or impeachment proceedings – Democrats throw at them.
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Democrats → say → them
“They’ll probably go after me, and I’ll go after them,” Trump said in a Time magazine interview.
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Trump → go → interview
Trump could even direct the Justice Department to investigate Democrats who are probing him.
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who → direct → him
Trump, who baselessly disputed his 2020 presidential election loss, could also interfere in the midterms by challenging counts or delaying the certification of disputed races.
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who → dispute → races
Foreign policy is the one area in which lame-duck US presidents still have wide-ranging powers.
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presidents → have → powers
Trump may renew large-scale military operations against Iran, although he appeared to indicate on the eve of the midterms that fresh talks could produce a deal.
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talks → renew → deal
“I don’t think he wants his legacy to be a warmonger.
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legacy → think → ?
He wants his legacy to have left America stronger,” Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution told AFP.
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Hass → want → AFP
Speculation has swirled that Trump could fire Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth as the Iran war drags on – a familiar move for a president who never likes to take the blame.
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who → swirl → blame
Ukraine, detente and trade
Trump loves to think of himself as a master of peace deals and is likely to continue to push Ukraine to agree to a settlement with Russia.
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Trump → love → Russia
Fresh trilateral talks are set for next week.
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talks → set → week
At the same time, Trump will continue to seek detente with the leaders he views as his great power equals – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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he → continue → equals
The three will potentially meet at a summit in China later in November.
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three → meet → November
The US is also likely to continue its retrenchment from some of its NATO and other Western allies – and may even accelerate it, said Hass of the Brookings Institution.
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Hass → continue → Institution
On trade, however, Trump would likely remain “unrelentingly active,” as shown by his recent hostility towards Canada, Hass said.
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Hass → remain → Canada
Trump loves being the centre of attention and is unlikely to relish the spotlight turning towards potential successors in the 2028 US presidential election.
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spotlight → love → election
Trump – who hosted the reality television show “The Apprentice” – has been notably coy about backing either Vice-President J.D. Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the top job.
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who → host → job
But Trump has largely stopped dropping hints at running for a constitutionally-barred third term.
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Trump → stop → term
Allan Lichtman, a professor at American University and author of “Great American Presidents: The Twelve Who Transformed the Nation,” said Trump would certainly “keep the focus on himself by being the kingmaker.”
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Trump → transform → himself
Monuments to himself
Like other people getting ready for retirement, Trump may choose to focus on home improvement.
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Trump → get → improvement
In his closing midterms speech, Trump barely mentioned policy and instead talked about his renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and other plans to beautify Washington.
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Trump → close → Washington
Trump has openly expressed a desire to stamp his own physical mark on Washington because he fears that others will not do it for him.
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others → express → him
“We have a lot of great things planned for Washington,” he said at the Reflecting Pool on Nov 2.
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he → have → Nov
The Aporia
