Trump signals limited cooperation

US President Donald Trump has congratulated Democrats on winning the midterm elections and indicated he is open to some cooperation with Congress over the next two years (Donald Trump und sein Ballsaal: Präsident schwärmt trotz Wahldebakel – DER SPIEGEL). He told Politico he did not intend simply to sit back and veto everything.

What a veto override would require

A presidential veto can only be overturned if both the Senate and the House of Representatives reach a two-thirds majority. Democrats do not hold that margin in either chamber, even after the midterms, but they can still narrow the president's room for manoeuvre (Midterms: »Ich werde Mr. Veto« – wie es für Donald Trump jetzt weitergeht – DER SPIEGEL).

Losses for the Republicans

The Republicans lost their majorities in both the House and the Senate, according to projections that showed Democrats winning control of both chambers of Congress (F.A.Z. Podcast für Deutschland: Wahl-Desaster für Republikaner: „Mit Trump kettet man sich an einen Verlierer“ – FAZ.NET). Commentators attributed the defeat partly to the war against Iran, which Trump acknowledged had contributed to the losses while defending the conflict as necessary (Kommentar zu den Midterms: Hoffentlich vermasseln sie es nicht – tagesschau.de).

Berlin keeps its distance

The German government declined to judge the outcome of the midterms. A government spokesperson said Berlin would continue close cooperation with Washington despite the different balance in the two chambers, and that it was too early to assess the consequences (Midterms: »Die USA sind eine lebendige Demokratie und das ist die schönste Botschaft heute« – DER SPIEGEL). The government's transatlantic coordinator, Michelle Hakverdi of the SPD, said he did not expect a realignment of US foreign policy and described Trump as unpredictable and highly changeable. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, also of the SPD, congratulated the Democrats on a "historic" victory while tempering expectations (Midterms 2026 – internationale Reaktionen: Iran gibt sich kämpferisch, Russland hofft weiter auf Trump – DER SPIEGEL).

Reactions in Germany

The Greens' co-chair, Franziska Brantner, called the Democratic win a stop sign against Trump and his billionaires. Die Linke's co-chair, Ines Schwerdtner, said the Republicans had offered no solutions to everyday problems. AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla argued that American voters wanted a peace policy that would make life safer and more affordable.

Iran warns of escalation

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said any repetition of US aggression would be met with a much larger response. He dismissed hopes that US policy would shift after the Republican defeat, saying anyone expecting the "hegemony system" to change through party shifts was deeply mistaken (Deutsche Reaktionen auf Midterms: Gratulation und gedämpfte Erwartungen – tagesschau.de). Tehran's foreign ministry said Iran could not be intimidated by threats (Berliner Reaktionen: „Auch ein Urteil über die falsche Außenpolitik des US-Präsidenten“ – FAZ.NET).

Read also

• US Midterms 2026: Polls Suggest Voters May Punish Trump at the Ballot Box