Lame duck Trump could still cause a flap after US midterms defeat

Following the Democratic sweep of US midterm elections, Trump adopted a conciliatory tone but retained powers to veto Democratic legislation and pursue executive orders on immigration.

Despite congratulating Democrats, Trump implied further military actions on Iran might occur, though he seeks a potential deal to end hostilities.

Trump focuses on his legacy, including construction projects in Washington, while his defeat may affect influence with global leaders, especially before an upcoming summit.

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 — Donald Trump struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone after the Democratic sweep of the US midterm elections rendered him a lame-duck president. How long that will last is anyone’s guess.

From renewed military action against Iran to vetoing Democratic legislation, the volatile 80-year-old could still use his remaining powers to cause major disruption in his last two years in office.

“Every time Trump has been backed into a corner, he has shouted more and come out fighting,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, told AFP.

Trump congratulated the Democrats on Tuesday and said he would be ready to work with them. He may have to, especially if Republicans turn on him over a defeat many of them blame on the Iran war.

But at the same time Trump repeatedly boasted of his executive power to veto any Democratic legislation that crosses his desk in the Oval Office. He even posted a picture of a red baseball cap with the word “VETO.”

Trump’s administration has reportedly drawn up a plan to use executive orders to push through his hardline immigration policies, much as he did in his first 100 days of his second term.

The twice-impeached Trump, the first convicted criminal ever to be elected president, has said he is also ready to fight back against Democratic-led investigations.

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 indicated on Tuesday that he was still seeking a deal to end the war he launched in February.

“Otherwise I’ll just finish the job,” he told Fox News.

“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.

Trump also dismissed speculation that he could fire Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth as the Iran war drags on, as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

Ukraine, detente and trade

Trump has long wanted to be seen as a peacemaker and is likely to continue to push Ukraine to agree to a settlement with Russia. Fresh trilateral talks are set for next week.

But Trump’s leverage with the leaders he views as his great power equals — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin — may be hit by his midterms defeat.

The election hammering comes less than two weeks before the three could potentially meet at a summit in China later this month.

Monuments to himself

Construction tycoon Trump may however choose to step back from confrontation and focus on his favourite subject — stamping his physical legacy on Washington.

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.

His pride and joy is the giant US$400 million (RM1.63 billion) ballroom that he is building at the White House, and which is due to be completed in late 2028 — shortly before he leaves office for good. — AFP

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在美国中期选举民主党大获全胜之后，特朗普采取了和解的语气，但仍然保留了否决民主党立法和发布移民行政命令的权力。

尽管特朗普向民主党人表示祝贺，但他暗示可能会对伊朗采取进一步的军事行动，尽管他正在寻求达成一项结束敌对行动的协议。

特朗普将重点放在他的政治遗产上，包括华盛顿的建设项目，而他的败选可能会影响他对全球领导人的影响力，尤其是在即将举行的峰会之前。

华盛顿，11月5日——在民主党横扫美国中期选举，使唐纳德·特朗普成为跛脚鸭总统后，他出人意料地发表了和解言论。这种和解能持续多久，谁也说不准。

从重新对伊朗采取军事行动到否决民主党的立法，这位性情反复无常的 80 岁老人仍有可能利用他剩余的权力，在他任期的最后两年里造成重大混乱。

“每当特朗普被逼到墙角，他就会更加大声地叫嚣，然后奋起反击，”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。

特朗普周二向民主党人表示祝贺，并表示他愿意与他们合作。他或许不得不这样做，尤其是在共和党人因这场败选而与他反目成仇的情况下——许多人将败选归咎于伊朗战争。

但与此同时，特朗普却一再吹嘘自己拥有否决任何提交到椭圆形办公室的民主党法案的行政权力。他甚至还发布了一张印有“否决”字样的红色棒球帽照片。

据报道，特朗普政府已制定一项计划，利用行政命令来推行其强硬的移民政策，就像他在第二个任期的前100天里所做的那样。

曾两次被弹劾的特朗普是历史上第一位当选总统的罪犯，他表示自己也准备反击民主党主导的调查。

外交政策是美国即将卸任的总统仍然拥有广泛权力的唯一领域。

尽管特朗普周二表示仍在寻求达成协议结束他于2月份发动的这场战争，但他可能仍会重启对伊朗的大规模军事行动。

“否则我就把活儿干完，”他告诉福克斯新闻。

“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。

特朗普还驳斥了有关他可能在伊朗战争持续期间解雇五角大楼负责人皮特·赫格塞斯，作为内阁改组的一部分的猜测。

乌克兰、缓和与贸易

特朗普一直希望被视为和平缔造者，他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。

但特朗普与他视为平等的大国领导人——中国国家主席习近平和俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京——之间的谈判筹码可能会因中期选举的失败而受到打击。

距离三国可能于本月晚些时候在中国举行峰会不到两周，此次选举风波便接踵而至。

他自己的纪念碑

然而，建筑业大亨特朗普可能会选择避免对抗，专注于他最喜欢的事情——在华盛顿留下他的物质遗产。

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。

他最引以为豪的项目是正在白宫建造的耗资4亿美元（约合16.3亿令吉）的巨型宴会厅，预计将于2028年底竣工——届时他将正式卸任。——法新社

特朗普大谈大理石、吊灯和无人机，同时展示耗资4亿美元的白宫宴会厅，而此时民主党在中期选举中大获全胜，掌控了国会。

德国政治家胡伯特·艾万格被发现死于柏林一家酒店，警方已展开调查

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