“America has given us a powerful and unprecedented mandate. (…) This will truly be America’s golden age. (…) We will transform our country, we will make it something very special. Exactly one year ago, Donald Trump triumphantly uttered these words to celebrate his victory at the polls against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Twelve months later, the Republican is celebrating a bittersweet anniversary.
Trump is not having his best moment a year after the presidential election, when his party gained control of the Senate, the House of Representatives and even won the popular vote. The occupant of the White House suffered a political setback on Tuesday after the Democrats’ resounding victory in four key elections.
Socialist Zohran Mamdani won a landslide victory in the race for mayor of New York City, the nation’s largest metropolis. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and former three-term congresswoman, secured the Virginia governorship for Democrats. Her friend Mikie Sherrill, a former helicopter pilot with whom she shared an apartment during her student days, defeated the Republican candidate in another election to become governor of New Jersey. And in California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has become one of Trump’s fiercest critics, easily passed his bill to redraw California’s congressional districts, a move that could give his party five more seats in the upcoming midterm elections.
The Democrats’ resounding victory left Trump re-electable, but he exonerated himself of blame for his party’s defeat shortly after the election results were announced. “TRUMP WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT AND THE SHUTDOWN WERE THE TWO REASONS REPUBLICANS LOST THE ELECTION TONIGHT, according to pollsters,” he wrote on Truth, his social media platform.
The election results appear to have rejuvenated the Democratic Party, which was re-elected after Trump’s victory a year ago. “Happy Anniversary! On this day, November 5th, one year ago, we had one of the greatest presidential victories in history – such an honor to represent our country. Our economy is BOOM and costs are going down. Affordability is our goal,” Trump posted on Truth.
Meanwhile, the president watches helplessly as some of his most controversial policies clash in the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court held a joint hearing Wednesday to consider two cases that challenge Trump’s authority to impose widespread tariffs around the world. The plaintiffs argue that the method chosen by the President, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, is not the appropriate legal mechanism because the emergency situation is not justified and such measures fail under the purview of Congress.
The president was the first to highlight the importance of this case after abruptly overturning the rules of international trade built over decades of diplomacy. Trump wrote in his platform that the case before the Supreme Court is “a matter of life and death for our country” and that a defeat will leave America “defenseless against other countries that, for years, have taken advantage of us.”
Although the Supreme Court, composed of nine judges with a conservative majority, has not yet concluded its deliberations, it has expressed doubts about the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
The billionaire who made his fortune speculating in New York real estate is not having his best week. When Trump is upset, he flees to Florida, where he relaxes at his Mar-a-Lago estate. He flew there on Wednesday under the pretext of attending a forum with entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the federal government has now been closed for 35 days, the longest shutdown in history, due to the inability of Senate Republicans and Democrats to reach an agreement to extend the budget.
Discontent with Trump grows as the government continues to operate at half capacity, with thousands of federal employees missing paychecks and millions of citizens unable to access food assistance or facing skyrocketing health insurance bills. The president is frustrated by his party’s inability to break the deadlock in the Senate. And he wants to take drastic measures: he has ordered Republicans to eliminate the requirement of a qualified majority of 60 votes to approve legislation.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune believes pushing that “nuclear button” would be bad for Republicans once Democrats regain control of the Senate. Yesterday’s election victory and some polls indicate that the midterm elections represent an opportunity for Democrats to turn the tide in both houses of Congress.
Democrats are much more likely to win the midterm and 2028 presidential elections if the filibuster is not ended, Trump wrote in his platform. “NOTHING WILL PASS FOR THREE YEARS AND THE GUILT WILL BE WITH THE REPUBLICANS”.
So far, the one-year anniversary of his victory is proving less successful than he predicted a year ago, when his voters chanted “Make America Great Again” as he savored his triumph surrounded by his family on a stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago mansion.
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