Winning control of both houses in the U.S. Congress puts Democrats in a position to limit Donald Trump’s liberal use of tariffs on Chinese products in the two years he has left in office, analysts say.
However, Democrats will also have to weigh their actions against the popularity of Mr. Trump’s tariffs among U.S. businesses.
China could use the remaining two years of Mr. Trump’s presidency to increase pressure on Taiwan, particularly if Beijing “judges that Washington is distracted or that Mr. Trump would be willing to agree terms to not intervene”, Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note.
-AP
Indian-American physician Amish Shah has made history after becoming the first from the community to represent Arizona in Congress.
Mr. Shah, 48, claimed victory in the election for the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona’s First Congressional District on Wednesday (November 4).
Mr. Shah became the sixth Indian American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read the story here
Amish Shah claims victory in Arizona, sixth Indian-American in U.S. House
Amish Shah makes history as Arizona’s first Indian-American congressman, flipping a GOP seat and vowing to address costs and health care.
Democrats’ resounding sweep to a majority in Congress gives them a big microphone and spotlight to scrutinize President Donald Trump’s trade policies, but largely leaves them unable to override his veto on any vote to overturn his tariffs or rescind trade authorities, trade and legal experts said on Wednesday (November 4).
The scale of the wins in the House of Representatives and the Senate give Democrats a chance to use their authority over government agency funding to seek concessions from Mr. Trump on trade an other issues, but trade advisers were telling clients to temper any expectations that the vote would lead to near-term changes in Mr. Trump’s tariff policies.
Democrats have expressed a desire to rescind some of the archaic trade laws that Mr. Trump has used to impose tariff, such as his punitive duties on Canadian imports under the nearly century-old, never-before-used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
-Reuters
A meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears increasingly unlikely when the U.S. president travels to Asia in November, analysts say, after he suffered a crushing midterm election defeat.
Mr. Trump had said he “may” meet Mr. Kim this month and that it “would be exciting”, but appeared to backtrack in October, saying, “I don’t know... I’m not sure that anybody’s asking for a meeting,” while adding that his “relationship with Kim Jong Un is very good.”
Mr. Trump’s focus on Mr. Kim and his scaling back of joint U.S.-South Korean military drills have alarmed Asian allies, while sparking speculation that he is seeking a foreign policy win as his war with Iran stalls.
Donald Trump’s midterm defeat dims hopes of North Korea meeting
Analysts say Trump’s midterm loss dampens chances for Kim Jong Un talks, amid Pyongyang’s defiance and shifting US-NK dynamics.
The landslide victory of Democrats in the U.S. to secure the Congress after the midterms on Tuesday (November 4, 2026) also dealt a blow to the anti-immigrant rhetoric and increasing polarisation of along the lines of gender and race pushed by President Donald Trump and his MAGA crowd. The dissatisfaction with the administration over rising living costs and the Iran war was so severe that the Democrats were able to overcome institutional measures to hold ground by the Republicans including gerrymandering. The victory of Democrat Pia Dandiya from the newly rearranged 22nd Congressional District in Florida stands a testament to this.
The Hindu profile on Democrat Pia Dandiya who won from Florida
Democrat Pia Dandiya, a Harvard- and Harlem-educated newcomer, joins the “samosa caucus” after Florida’s new district reshapes U.S. politics.
Iranians celebrated on Wednesday (November 4, 2026) after U.S. voters, concerned about the war and frustrated over rising prices for fuel, gave Democrats control of Congress in Tuesday’s vote — a major blow for Trump and his Republican Party.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote Wednesday (November 4, 2026) on X that “Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.” He warned that if the U.S. government ignores the vote for change, “it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare.”
But Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, dismissed thoughts that the U.S. will change its approach to the Islamic Republic.
The broader region has been on edge for weeks over whether the U.S. will resume full-scale military operations against Iran. Talks are ongoing aimed at preventing renewed fighting.
Underscoring the mutual hostility, thousands marched through Tehran on Wednesday at a government-organized demonstration commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy.
Pro-government demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags and chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” -- AP
Democrats will also hold at least 28 governorships in 2027, with pickups in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas — states long held by Republicans.
And the party broke or prevented Republican supermajorities in nine legislative chambers in eight states: Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and North Carolina.
That means Republicans would need help from Democratic lawmakers to override a Democratic governor’s veto in Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina. The Associated Press has not called the governor’s race in Kansas.
The wins come after Democrats lost nearly 1,000 state legislative seats during President Barack Obama’s tenure, a slide they’ve been trying to reverse for several cycles.
It’s the biggest single-election change of partisan power in state governments since 2010, said Katie Owens Hubler, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. -- AP
Latinos who helped re-elect Donald Trump turned on him in the midterms, irked by his unfulfilled pledges of lower prices and his aggressive crackdown on immigrants -- often other Latinos.
From Texas to California and elsewhere, Latinos voted en masse for Democrats on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) as the party came in from the political wilderness to seize control of the House and the Senate, in a stinging rebuke of Trump and his Republican Party.
Tuesday’s (November 3, 2026) Latino turnout will probably be the largest ever in a U.S. midterm election, said Janet Murguia, president and CEO of UnidosUS, a Latino advocacy group.
Many Latinos voted for Mr. Trump in 2024 because he pledged to bring down prices, but he has failed to do so, she said.
They are also dead set against his “out-of-control mass deportation campaign and the abusive, violent, cruel tactics personified by ICE,” Mr. Trump’s immigration enforcers.
“In short, Latino voters sent a clear message about their anger and concern about the direction of our country,” Murguia said at a press conference.
Even younger US-born Latinos who feel as American as they do connected to their parents’ heritage said they could not stomach the nationwide crackdown by ICE, as Trump worked to deport millions, carrying out raids on construction sites and at times deporting people in chains and manacles. -- AFP
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will step down as Republican leader following his party’s crushing midterm election defeat, his spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday (November 4, 2026).
Mr. Johnson, the highest-ranking Republican in the United States after President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance, is second in the line of presidential succession.
Asked whether reports that Mr. Johnson would step aside were correct, his spokesperson responded in a one-word email: “Accurate.”
The Louisiana Republican told staff of his decision Wednesday morning, a day after Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping rejection of Trump’s party and his policies.
Mr. Johnson, 54, had led the House since October 2023, when he emerged as a compromise candidate after weeks of Republican infighting following the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. He had campaigned extensively to preserve the Republicans’ narrow House majority and previously suggested he might remain party leader even if Democrats won control.
AFP
U.S. President Donald Trump backed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm elections that reflected voter anger over the Iran war.
Asked whether he was considering replacing Mr. Hegseth, whom he has described as a champion of the war, Mr. Trump told reporters: “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.”
The response contrasted with then-President George Bush, who fired Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the morning after the 2006 midterm elections, when voter discontent over the Iraq war helped Democrats win control of Congress.
But sources said Mr. Trump could still replace Mr. Hegseth as Republicans assess their losses.
One Trump adviser said Mr. Hegseth “could be on the chopping block” because of the war. “Someone is going to get blamed for this and you know it’s not going to be him (Trump),” the adviser said.
Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview on Wednesday (November 4, 2026), said he hoped gains by Democrats in the U.S. midterm elections would generate more help for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Mr. Zelenskyy told Germany’s ZDF television he hoped the changes caused by Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress next year would be to Kyiv’s advantage.
“I am also grateful to the Republicans, but the Democrats speak very clearly about supporting Ukraine and providing assistance to Ukraine,” he said in comments provided in German by ZDF before the interview was broadcast.
“They speak about renewing the connection between the United States and Europe... Therefore, there is hope that a balance of power will emerge and that we will receive more support.”
Reuters
The dramatic results of the U.S. midterms will probably have less impact on India-U.S. bilateral relations than on geopolitics and, as a result, India’s “operating environment” in the world. The elections are likely to hand Democrats a sizable majority in the House of Representatives and a comfortable edge in the Senate, which means U.S. President Donald Trump will face restraints on both domestic and foreign policy. Here are five areas where this will matter most to India.
U.S. midterm results may matter less for India-U.S. ties than for India’s room to manoeuvre in geopolitics
The U.S. midterm results may matter less for India-U.S. ties than for geopolitics, from the Iran war and Russian oil to trade talks and the Quad.
Democrats won full control of the U.S. Congress in a sweeping midterm rout on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) with a landslide of upsets that delivered a crushing rebuke of President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.
The victory handed Democrats both the House of Representatives and Senate, giving them power to block Mr. Trump’s agenda and investigate alleged corruption for the last two years of his presidency.
The vote reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Mr. Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.
Democrats win U.S. Congress in midterm rout of U.S. President Donald Trump
Democrats gain ground in U.S. midterms as Trump battles bruising setbacks and Georgia’s governor race reshapes the political landscape.
