The Democrats not only made significant gains in Tuesday's midterm elections but also took control of both chambers of Congress.
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Democrats → make → Congress
Here are five insights that can be drawn from this moment.
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that → draw → moment
The storming of the Capitol, attempts to change the rules of the electoral process, a spate of presidential executive orders to bypass Congress and many more examples sparked concerns that the US' vaunted democracy was being transformed into an authoritarian system under Donald Trump.
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democracy → change → Trump
But the country's democratic institutions have proven more resilient than many had feared.
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many → prove → ?
Many voters were driven by their opposition to Trump's desire to rule with unfettered power.
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voters → drive → power
Instead they want to see country's institutional safeguards strengthened.
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safeguards → want → ?
A post-election survey by news agency Associated Press found that about 30% of voters thought the state of democracy was the country's biggest problem.
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state → find → democracy
About 70% felt that Congress was not doing enough to provide checks and balances on the president.
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Congress → feel → president
This midterm result sends a clear signal that voters want stronger parliamentary oversight.
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voters → send → oversight
President Trump could of course continue trying to govern through executive orders, bypassing Congress.
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Trump → continue → Congress
But Congress sets the budget.
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Congress → set → budget
This means the Democrats, who now control Congress, can deny the president the funds he needs for his political initiatives.
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he → mean → initiatives
They can also set up investigative committees, which puts the Trump government under considerable pressure to justify its actions.
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which → set → actions
The Democrats can still win elections
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Democrats → win → elections
For a long time, the Democratic Party lacked compelling leadership, a unified approach and a clear answer as to how it intends to win votes.
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it → lack → votes
Tuesday's election proves the party is still a political force to be reckoned with.
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party → prove → ?
The party was even able to score victories in Texas and South Carolina.
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party → score → Texas
In Kansas, the Democrats won a Senate seat for the first time since 1932.
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Democrats → win → 1932
The midterms have also put the spotlight on a new generation of Democrats: Younger politicians, some of them noticeably more progressive, who could chart a fresh course for the party.
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who → put → party
Take, for instance, the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, an organization which is considerably more left-wing than the Democratic Party itself.
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which → take → Party
At least five candidates endorsed by the DSA have been elected to the House of Representatives.
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candidates → endorse → Representatives
The DSA advocate for strong welfare policies that focus on affordable housing, health care and workers' rights.
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that → focus → housing
They also want to see greater checks on the power of large corporations.
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They → want → corporations
"The argument was always that these folks can't win on a national stage," Brandon Bohrn, an expert on trans-Atlantic relations at the Bertelsmann Foundation, told DW.
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Bohrn → win → DW
Now some of them have defied the odds and actually won, potentially sparking an internal debate about what the Democrats stand for and how they plan to win voters in the 2028 presidential election, Bohrn said.
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Bohrn → defy → election
The Republicans face a fierce internal battle over the party's future
Donald Trump has already made it clear that he does not hold himself responsible for this midterms defeat, taking to Truth Social to deflect any blame.
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himself → face → blame
Yet not everyone in the Republican party is likely to agree.
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everyone → agree → party
Critics of Trump who had been sidelined may feel emboldened to speak up again.
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who → sideline → Trump
The question as to whether the Republicans should abandon Trumpism will be almost impossible to ignore.
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Republicans → abandon → Trumpism
By law, Donald Trump cannot run for a third term in the 2028 presidential race so Republicans will have to think about who can.
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who → run → race
But who will take the lead?
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who → take → lead
Tuesday's election defeat will likely accelerate this debate, making a power struggle over the Republicans' political future inevitable.
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struggle → accelerate → future
The war against Iran and resulting economic hardships have cost the Republicans many votes.
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war → result → votes
The consequences of the Iran war have primarily driven up energy prices.
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consequences → drive → prices
This is likely to significantly increase domestic pressure on Trump to reach a lasting agreement with Iran.
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This → increase → Iran
Trump does seem keen to cut foreign policy costs, especially in areas where it has been politically controversial for his party.
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it → seem → party
Shortly before the midterms, he announced that he no longer intends to provide billions in military aid to Israel.
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he → announce → Israel
This was in relation to a deal that was meant to expire in two years anyway.
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that → mean → years
What the election outcome could mean for Europe
Ian Lesser, an expert on US foreign and security policy at the German Marshall Fund, believes that the midterm elections could also impact trans-Atlantic relations.
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elections → mean → relations
"This actually makes a big difference for Europe in a number of different important ways," Lesser told DW.
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Lesser → make → DW
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
