It is not without a touch of schadenfreude that the world will look at the dismal performance of Donald Trump’s Republicans in the House of Representatives, Senate and governor polls since it was his autocratic behaviour as the globe’s most powerful man which brought about this stinging midterm rebuke. As one of the victorious Democratic candidates described it, “In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world and the entire Washington, DC establishment.” The Goliaths were slain as the Democrats rode a Blue tsunami into a position from which they can assert themselves in America’s famous systemic checks and balances constitution.

Having lost the race for the House, as universally predicted, and the Senate, which was forecast to be a close-run race for 35 seats, and conceded seats that historically voted conservative for decades — and close to 100 years in the case of Kansas — a chastened Trump said that he would reconcile to working with the Democrats. How long Trump would remain humbled by the voice of the people is anyone’s guess though it is a good sign that he has not thus far challenged the results as is his wont whenever the polls go against him or his party. What a miffed Trump may do is, perhaps, more easily predicted as he and his team have been preparing for months since sighting the Democratic wave and begun confabulating on how to work around the loss of control in the US Capitol.

The US President should be well aware that the single biggest cause of his downfall was the rising cost-of-living index that was triggered mostly by the war he declared on Iran at the behest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The people pounced on gas (petrol and diesel) and grocery prices as the most noticeable effect of a war that made their President one of the most unpopular in American history. The state of democracy was to be seen in the harsh immigration policies leading to ICE officials opening fire on citizens on the streets of American cities as well as the misuse of several institutions of governance. A defeat in midterms and loss of legislative majority themselves is not uncommon, however, as 18 of the last 20 Presidents have suffered it. But it is the slide in an economy that was riding high at the end of last year that fashioned his comeuppance.

There were several firsts in unique messages from the polls like the election of the first Black, Black woman and Latina governors, the first openly gay lawmaker, the first Muslim senator and the first Native American female governor and so on. Beyond that, the overwhelming message as several deep Republican states changed colour dramatically in an expensive campaign that saw billions being spent on advertising was that of the compelling necessity of reining in an authoritarian President who upended the most cherished traditions of American democracy, now in its 250th year.

What happens to world peace will depend on whether Trump will still pursue the foolish course he charted in the on-off Iran war or lump the losses by ditching operations altogether just as he has cut $4 bn annual aid to Israel. On how he will react to the Indian diaspora turning against him may hinge the US-India ties and a trade deal that hit several roadblocks in recent times. Even then, India will stand to gain along with the rest of the world if Trump indeed disavows his dalliance with the war in Iran. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)