No lame-duck lull for Trump as midterm defeat threatens to unleash a political storm

In the wake of potentially losing Republican control in the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump is expected to adopt a combative stance in his remaining term, possibly engaging in legislative vetoes and intensified confrontations with Democratic opponents.

Trump is poised to leverage foreign policy, possibly renewing military actions against Iran while pursuing diplomatic engagements with leaders like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

His strategy may also extend to influence over the 2028 presidential election, maintaining a dominant presence in American politics.

Beyond governance, Trump has expressed interest in leaving a physical legacy in Washington, D.C., through proposed beautification projects.

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 — President Donald Trump’s second term has been a wild ride, but his last two years in power could be wilder still if Republicans lose control of Congress in Tuesday’s US midterm elections.

From renewed military action against Iran to election challenges and fightbacks against Democratic investigations, Trump’s post-midterms playbook could involve disruption on all fronts.

Analysts warn that Trump as a “lame duck” president could be the most vengeful Trump of all.

“I’m skeptical that President Trump will go quiet into that good night,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, told AFP.

“There is nothing in history that says he will say ‘I’ve been beaten, my time is over.’ Every time Trump has been backed into a corner, he has shouted more and come out fighting.”

Vetoes and vengeance

Trump has always viewed himself as a fighter. He has been clear he will take the same approach if Democrats win one or both chambers of Congress.

“If we didn’t win, I veto everything” in any Democratic legislative agenda, Trump told the New York Post .

The White House says it is also ready to fight back against whatever investigations—or impeachment proceedings—Democrats throw at them.

“They’ll probably go after me, and I’ll go after them,” Trump said in a Time magazine interview. Trump could even direct the Justice Department to investigate Democrats who are probing him.

Trump, who baselessly disputed his 2020 presidential election loss, could also interfere in the midterms by challenging counts or delaying the certification of disputed races.

Foreign policy is the one area in which lame-duck US presidents still have wide-ranging powers.

Trump may renew large-scale military operations against Iran, although he appeared to indicate on the eve of the midterms that fresh talks could produce a deal.

“I don’t think he wants his legacy to be a warmonger. He wants his legacy to have left America stronger,” Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution told AFP.

Speculation has swirled that Trump could fire Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth as the Iran war drags on—a familiar move for a president who never likes to take the blame.

Ukraine, detente and trade

Trump loves to think of himself as a master of peace deals and is likely to continue to push Ukraine to agree to a settlement with Russia. Fresh trilateral talks are set for next week.

At the same time, Trump will continue to seek detente with the leaders he views as his great power equals—Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The three will potentially meet at a summit in China later this month.

The US is also likely to continue its retrenchment from some of its Nato and other Western allies—and may even accelerate it, said Hass of the Brookings Institution.

On trade, however, Trump would likely remain “unrelentingly active,” as shown by his recent hostility towards Canada, Hass said.

Staying relevant for 2028?

Trump loves being the center of attention and is unlikely to relish the spotlight turning towards potential successors in the 2028 US presidential election.

Trump—who hosted the reality television show The Apprentice —has been notably coy about backing either Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the top job.

But Trump has largely stopped dropping hints at running for a constitutionally-barred third term.

Allan Lichtman, a professor at American University and author of “Great American Presidents: The Twelve Who Transformed the Nation,” said Trump would certainly “keep the focus on himself by being the kingmaker.”

Monuments to himself

Like other people getting ready for retirement, Trump may choose to focus on home improvement.

In his closing midterms speech, Trump barely mentioned policy and instead talked about his renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and other plans to beautify Washington.

Trump has openly expressed a desire to stamp his own physical mark on Washington because he fears that others will not do it for him.

“We have a lot of great things planned for Washington,” he said at the Reflecting Pool on Monday. — AFP

King Charles calls transatlantic slave trade ‘monstrous injustice’ as Britain faces calls for formal apology

Indonesia arrests three, including police general, over alleged tapping of President Prabowo’s phone

Bomb threats target 10 European flights in hours, forcing airport closures and fighter jets to scramble

Scam victims recover just 1pc of RM1.23b lost over past decade, Parliament told

Mitra programmes boost income for 52pc of Indian community entrepreneurs, improve job prospects for 77pc

At 26, Pakatan candidate Nana says age is no barrier to serving voters as she contests Kelebang seat

由于共和党可能在美国中期选举中失去控制权，预计唐纳德·特朗普总统将在其剩余任期内采取对抗姿态，可能会否决立法，并加剧与民主党对手的对抗。

特朗普准备利用外交政策，可能重启对伊朗的军事行动，同时寻求与习近平和普京等领导人进行外交接触。

他的策略可能还会延伸到影响 2028 年总统选举，以保持在美国政坛的主导地位。

除了执政之外，特朗普还表示有兴趣通过提议的美化项目在华盛顿特区留下实物遗产。

华盛顿，11 月 4 日——唐纳德·特朗普总统的第二个任期可谓跌宕起伏，但如果共和党在周二的美国中期选举中失去对国会的控制权，他执政的最后两年可能会更加疯狂。

从重新对伊朗采取军事行动，到挑战选举结果，再到反击民主党的调查，特朗普在中期选举后的策略可能涉及各个方面的混乱。

分析人士警告说，即将卸任的特朗普总统可能会成为历任特朗普中最具报复心的一位。

“我怀疑特朗普总统会就此销声匿迹，”乔治·华盛顿大学媒体与公共事务学院院长彼得·洛格告诉法新社。

“历史上没有任何迹象表明他会说‘我被打败了，我的时代结束了’。每次特朗普被逼到绝境，他都会更加大声疾呼，奋起反击。”

否决权和复仇

特朗普一直把自己视为斗士。他明确表示，如果民主党赢得国会参众两院或其中一院，他也会采取同样的策略。

特朗普告诉《纽约邮报》：“如果我们没赢，我会否决民主党的所有立法议程。”

白宫表示，他们也已做好准备，反击民主党人发起的任何调查或弹劾程序。

“他们可能会攻击我，我也会反击他们，”特朗普在接受《时代》杂志采访时说道。特朗普甚至可能指示司法部调查那些正在调查他的民主党人。

特朗普曾毫无根据地质疑自己在 2020 年总统选举中的败选，他也可能通过质疑计票结果或拖延对有争议的选举结果进行认证来干预中期选举。

外交政策是即将卸任的美国总统仍然拥有广泛权力的唯一领域。

尽管特朗普在中期选举前夕似乎暗示，新的谈判可能会达成协议，但他仍有可能重启对伊朗的大规模军事行动。

“我认为他不想让自己的历史地位成为一个战争贩子。他希望自己的历史地位是让美国变得更加强大，”布鲁金斯学会的瑞安·哈斯告诉法新社。

有传言称，随着伊朗战争的持续，特朗普可能会解雇五角大楼负责人皮特·赫格塞斯——对于一位从不喜欢承担责任的总统来说，这是一种熟悉的举动。

乌克兰、缓和与贸易

特朗普喜欢把自己视为和平谈判大师，很可能会继续敦促乌克兰与俄罗斯达成和解。新一轮三方会谈定于下周举行。

与此同时，特朗普将继续寻求与他视为与其实力相当的大国领导人——中国国家主席习近平和俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京——缓和关系。

三人有可能在本月晚些时候在中国举行峰会。

布鲁金斯学会的哈斯表示，美国也可能继续疏远一些北约和其他西方盟友，甚至可能加快这一进程。

哈斯表示，但在贸易问题上，特朗普可能会继续“积极行动”，正如他最近对加拿大表现出的敌意所表明的那样。

如何才能在2028年保持竞争力？

特朗普喜欢成为众人瞩目的焦点，他不太可能乐见聚光灯转向2028年美国总统大选的潜在继任者。

曾主持真人秀节目《学徒》的特朗普，对于支持副总统 JD Vance 还是国务卿 Marco Rubio 担任总统这一职位，一直态度暧昧。

但特朗普基本上已经停止暗示要竞选宪法禁止的第三个任期。

美国大学教授、著有《伟大的美国总统：改变国家的十二位总统》一书的艾伦·利希特曼表示，特朗普肯定会“通过扮演造王者的角色，将焦点集中在自己身上”。

他自己的纪念碑

和其他准备退休的人一样，特朗普可能会选择专注于房屋修缮。

在中期选举的最后一次演讲中，特朗普几乎没有提及政策，而是谈到了他对林肯纪念堂倒影池的翻新以及其他美化华盛顿的计划。

特朗普曾公开表示希望在华盛顿留下自己的印记，因为他担心其他人不会替他这么做。

“我们为华盛顿制定了很多宏伟的计划，”他周一在倒影池边说道。——法新社

查理一世国王称跨大西洋奴隶贸易是“骇人听闻的不公正”，英国面临正式道歉的呼声。

印尼逮捕三人，其中包括一名警官，他们涉嫌窃听总统普拉博沃的电话。

数小时内，10架欧洲航班遭遇炸弹威胁，导致机场关闭，战斗机紧急升空拦截。

国会表示，诈骗受害者在过去十年损失的12.3亿令吉中仅追回了1%。

Mitra计划使52%的印度社区企业家的收入增加，并改善了77%的就业前景。

26岁的希望​​联盟候选人娜娜表示，年龄不是服务选民的障碍，她将竞选吉勒邦选区议席。