The CDU foreign politician Armin Laschet sees new work ahead for parliaments on both sides of the Atlantic after the congressional elections in the USA. “It is now important for MPs in Europe to establish contacts with their younger US colleagues and explain to them the importance of the transatlantic relationship,” said the chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee to the news portal Web.de News. He doesn't think many of them already have this knowledge.
On the Democratic side, many new representatives are entering the US Congress. “There is now a new generation striving for office that the world experienced especially after the end of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall,” said Laschet. Anyone in the USA who is now in their mid-40s never experienced the Cold War.
Laschet does not expect any fundamental changes to US foreign policy as a result of the US elections. “In my opinion, Trump will not become a lame duck because he remains capable of acting in foreign policy,” said Laschet. Foreign policy in the USA is a government matter, and Trump continues to be a strong player. “That’s why we have to continue to be prepared for unpredictable decisions.”
Republican US Senator Ted Cruz has accused his party of serious failings following its defeat in the midterm elections. Too many Republican politicians either did not understand the economic concerns and the plight of many Americans or were not interested in them, the senator from Texas wrote on Platform
The economic situation of many people had already deteriorated significantly before the election. Cruz cited high gasoline prices, the increasing number of foreclosures and vehicle repossessions, and a record number of people donating blood plasma each week as signs of this. “This is very real suffering for real Americans — and too many Republican politicians seemed to either not understand it or not care,” Cruz wrote.
Trump has acknowledged that the Iran war played a role in the midterms. “The Iran thing we had to do and we continue to do it,” Trump said Wednesday.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris wants to continue to shape her party's course. She believes she has a responsibility to help shape the Democratic direction, "particularly by elevating voices and issues that I have experience with," Harris told The Associated Press. She wants to play a role in the 2028 election campaign.
Regardless of whether she runs for president again, she will continue to advocate for economic issues and civil rights. She has acted this way throughout her career, Harris said. She was delighted with her party's successes in the midterm elections. The victories were broad geographically, ideologically and across generations.
Democrat James Talarico has compared his victory in the Texas Senate election to the biblical battle of David against Goliath. "The people of Texas were my slingshot. And tonight we defeated Goliath," he told supporters in Austin.
David wasn't as big or strong as Goliath and didn't have as many weapons, but he had hope, faith and a slingshot. “We just took back Texas,” Talarico said. All the money in the world won't go against the people of Texas. A politics of division cannot compete with a politics of love.
US President Donald Trump says he is not thinking about firing his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. When asked about this the day after his Republicans' debacle in the general election, he said: "No, I think he's doing a very good job."
Republican Congresswoman Kat Cammack from Florida is calling for an open discussion among Republicans after the election debacle. It's time for a "family discussion, and an open one," she said. When asked about the future leadership of the House of Representatives, she told Fox News: “Last night was a referendum on the entire leadership in Washington.”
Anyone who wants their support must present a plan because the old approach will no longer work. The party will lose sight of the big picture if it only focuses on the 2028 elections. “It's clear that (voters) were not happy with our performance,” said Cammack, who was defending her House seat, according to AP data.
Trump spoke about his architectural projects in his first public appearance in front of TV cameras after the defeat. "I want to thank everyone who is here. This is a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere before," Trump told reporters at the construction site of the new ballroom. It will be the “most beautiful ballroom in the whole world,” said the US President. Trump also referred to his plan to build a triumphal arch and renovate an old golf course in the US capital.
US Vice President J.D. Vance attributes the defeats of Republicans like US President Trump primarily to the Iran War. In a lengthy statement on “The four most common answers, which accounted for almost everyone, were: 1. End the war, 2. Focus on the cost of living/inflation, 3. Put America first, 4. Change our relationship with Israel,” Vance writes. "Our voters went to the polls. And the four reasons above are why many of them voted for Democrats."
"The reason for our defeat is the war. The President himself said that last night," the US vice president continues. "If you want to argue that it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was justified, then do so. Claim it was a worthwhile price. Whether you agree or not, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest discussion about what happens next has to start right there."
After the resounding defeat for the Republicans in the US congressional election, the White House apparently found it necessary to remind that Donald Trump is still head of state and rules the country: “Public announcement: Trump is still your president,” said a White House post on the online service Desk in oval office supports.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” it continued, a phrase Trump often uses in his social media posts. After just two hours, there were already thousands of mocking comments on the post.
