As the Democrats' landslide victory in the midterms became apparent, Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, stood before the cheering crowd at an election party in Washington and shouted: "America is back."
He said his party would bring about fundamental change once it takes control of Congress at the start of the year. Voters sent a clear message to Republican-dominated Washington: They had had enough of political extremism and corruption. He announced that the Democrats would deliver concrete results immediately in January - particularly on the high cost of living.
Big projects announced
But how much can the Democrats actually change politics in Washington in the next two years - as long as Republican President Donald Trump is still in power in the White House?
According to reports in the New York Times, Jeffries plans to introduce legislation within the first 100 hours in January that would, among other things, reinstate expired subsidies for health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act.
In addition, massive cuts to the health insurance program for low-income people, Medicaid, should be reversed. He wants to collect the tariffs introduced by Trump and strengthen Congress' powers over trade policy again. He also wants to call on Trump to end the war against Iran or - if Trump wants to continue it - to obtain appropriate authorization from Congress.
Contrary to what is legally required, Trump has so far waged the war against Iran without a formal mandate from Parliament. The so-called War Powers Act stipulates that congressional approval for war must be obtained no later than 60 days after the first attack. Trump has not done that yet. It is therefore questionable whether he will do this in the future just because the Democrats are now demanding it.
The US President's foreign policy will not change immediately as a result of the Democrats' election victory. However, the Democrats could certainly limit Trump's scope for action in foreign policy - for example through more control and budget decisions.
Trump announces veto
After the election defeat, Trump emphasized again that the president's veto power was incontestable. This means he can stop any law that has been approved by both chambers.
And even if the Democrats have the majority in the Senate from January, the Republicans can still block bills through a so-called filibuster, a targeted delay tactic, for example through extended speeches.
At least sand in the gears
Ahead of the midterms, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii said they were well aware that they couldn't "pass far-reaching progressive legislation while Trump was still president."
But Democrats argue that they could now use their majority to put the president in his place and reverse some of what they see as his most devastating policies.
In this way, the Democrats can be a hindrance and block the Republicans' legislative proposals. They can control the budget and set conditions for certain government spending and funding for federal agencies.
Or they can refuse funds, which would then possibly lead to so-called government shutdowns, when public federal institutions and federal administrations are paralyzed until financing can be agreed upon.
The majority Democratic Senate can also block personnel decisions, because the Senate must confirm appointments to numerous positions in the government and judiciary. The Democrats could reject Trump's nominees for ministerial positions, ambassadors and federal courts, including the Supreme Court. The Senate also has a say in international agreements, of which certain treaties require a two-thirds majority.
Case against Trump
Since the Democrats will be able to claim the chairmanship and majority in many committees in the future, they will also have the opportunity to initiate official investigations, subpoena government members, request documents and hold hearings.
They can initiate proceedings against the president on corruption allegations and, for example, examine the massive flows of money in the form of cryptocurrencies that flow to the government and Trump's family. According to media reports, the White House is already preparing for this.
It would also be conceivable that the Democrats would revisit the issue of the Epstein files and the associated allegations against the US President.
A simple majority in the House of Representatives would be enough to initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump. However, two impeachment attempts against him have already come to nothing because an actual conviction and removal would require a two-thirds majority (67 out of 100 votes) in the Senate. This means that the Democrats would have to win over a number of Republicans to take this step, which is why impeachment is considered very unlikely.
Arbitrariness or withdrawal
The question now is whether Trump will retreat into the final two years of his term as a so-called lame duck - as politicians are called who cannot be re-elected and whose power is waning. Or whether Trump, because he has nothing left to lose, mutates into a completely unleashed gamecock who doesn't care about the future of his Republican Party anyway.
Trump could then continue to rule by decrees, arbitrarily impose tariffs, send in the military, deport migrants, bomb Iran, weaken NATO, build ballrooms, dupe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and court Russian President Vladimir Putin.
And in the meantime he should continue to try to make as much money as possible for his family and himself. The Democrats probably couldn't do much about it.
