As Tuesday night’s midterm election results rolled in, with increasingly bad news for Donald Trump and his Republican Party, the president was holed up at the White House watching Fox News with his aides.
asserted
president → roll → aides
One of those aides, communications specialist Jason Miller, was with the president until after midnight – by which time the extent of the drubbing had become clear.
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extent → become → drubbing
With Democrats to take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, depriving Trump of his power over Congress, the president told Miller what must happen next: “Use the nuclear option and get our things done.”
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things → take → option
The Democrats, Trump said, will use their newfound power “every single day for the next two years”.
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Trump → say → years
This Congress, now entering a lame duck session, only has weeks left.
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Congress → enter → weeks
Dozens of adjectives have been applied to what transpired on Tuesday: a blue tsunami, an ass-kicking, an extinction level event, “complete armageddon”.
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what → apply → Tuesday
Democrats did not just retake control of the House of Representatives, as expected.
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Democrats → retake → Representatives
Nor did they squeak home in the Senate, which was considered a longshot earlier in the year.
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which → squeak → year
Rather, they swept to power, picking up about 40 seats in the House, despite rampant gerrymandering, and at least seven in the other chamber.
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they → sweep → chamber
So powerful was the landslide that Democrats flipped not only target seats in North Carolina, Ohio and Maine, but Texas, South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas and possibly even Mississippi – a deep south state that has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1982.
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that → flip → 1982
While there is a tendency towards hyperbole in the immediate aftermath of an election, there can be no doubt that the emphatic verdict delivered by the American people will shape the next two months, the next two years, and the future of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
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America → be → movement
The next two months
Miller, a longtime Trump staffer who returned to the White House in a communications role a few months ago, joined MAGA influencer Steve Bannon on his TV/podcast War Room the morning after the election.
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who → return → election
As he recounted Trump’s message from the night before, he made an overt threat to outgoing Republicans on Capitol Hill who have lost their seats.
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who → recount → seats
It was the same threat Trump’s team made in 2019 when the president faced an impeachment trial.
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president → make → trial
“We made it clear to Republicans on the Hill that if you try to back away from the American people, from this movement, your political career is finished,” Miller said.
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Miller → make → movement
“We have some people whose political careers are finished, and they’re on the way out.
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they → finish → way
What everyone needs to realise is every single one of these senators, every single one of these House members who are leaving, they have some board that they want to be on.
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they → need → that
They have some contract they want to get, some corporation.
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they → have → contract
“We have to let them know: they’re not going to get within a football field of that dream job or that golden parachute unless they hold the line.”
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they → have → line
Trump still has a number of judicial appointments before the Senate – part of a broad push to move the courts to the right – and vacancies that he could fill.
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he → have → that
Speculation has raged in Washington for months about the future of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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Speculation → rag → Hegseth
The former Fox News host has led a turbulent department, clashing with senior staff and instigating high-profile dismissals.
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host → lead → dismissals
He is also, along with Trump, the face of the unpopular Iran war (although the Pentagon has not held a news conference for six months).
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Pentagon → hold → months
Speaking to ABC News America’s Jonathan Karl on Thursday, Trump acknowledged receiving calls from people unhappy with Hegseth, and agreed it would be easier to replace him while the GOP still controlled the Senate.
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GOP → speak → Senate
But Hegseth was doing “a very good job”, Trump said.
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Trump → do → job
“I have every intention of keeping him.”
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I → have → him
Hegseth will face impeachment proceedings as soon as this week.
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Hegseth → face → week
Outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massie, a fierce Trump opponent, plans to trigger a vote on his resolution to impeach the defence secretary.
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Massie → plan → secretary
He noted it would be much “gentler” than an impeachment trial with hearings, which the Democrats would surely seek next year.
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Democrats → note → which
Meanwhile, Hegseth is reportedly interested in filling a Senate vacancy for the state of Tennessee.
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Hegseth → fill → Tennessee
Last month, he attended a football game with Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, who is leaving to become the state’s next governor.
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who → attend → Blackburn
She ducked questions about it this week.
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She → duck → it
Several sources said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would likely leave the administration, though the timing is unclear.
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timing → say → administration
If he were intent on mounting a campaign to become the Republicans’ presidential nominee, he might ordinarily resign in the first half of 2027.
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he → mount → 2027
However, in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Rubio dismissed suggestions he was planning to quit.
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he → dismiss → suggestions
Working a full-term for Trump had “always been my plan”, he said.
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he → work → Trump
He also acknowledged war had been a factor in the election outcome, joining Vice President JD Vance, Texas senator Ted Cruz, Florida governor Ron DeSantis and others in commenting publicly on it.
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war → acknowledge → it
Conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are in their 70s, and given the size of the Democrat gains in the Senate, this could be Republicans’ last chance for a while to confirm a conservative successor.
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this → give → successor
Both have indicated they are likely to stay; Alito said last month he intended to see out the term, and Thomas would become the longest-serving justice ever in 2028.
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Thomas → indicate → 2028
Whatever business comes up, the instructions from the White House are clear.
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instructions → come → House
…and 77 more, not listed.
The Aporia
