World reactions to US midterm elections

The November 3 midterm elections changed who controls Congress in Washington. Democrats won a landslide victory over Trump’s Republicans. That did not remove Trump from the presidency, but it sharply limited his party’s control of the federal legislature.

Control of Congress gives Democrats several tools. They can block or rewrite legislation supported by Trump. They can also launch investigations into his administration and challenge his judicial and senior government appointments. These powers can slow or reshape the president’s agenda.

The political change also drew international attention. EU diplomat Kaja Kallas hoped Congress would keep supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia. Germany’s Friedrich Merz, however, said Trump could continue governing through executive orders, as he had largely done for two years.

US midterm elections are federal elections held roughly halfway through a president’s four-year term. Voters choose members of Congress, including every seat in the House of Representatives and some Senate seats. They also vote in many state and local contests, but the defining national contest is control of Congress.

A presidential election is different because voters choose the president and vice president through the Electoral College process. It occurs every four years, while midterms occur between presidential elections. A president therefore remains in office when the opposing party wins a midterm election.

That distinction explains the result described here. Democrats won Congress on November 3, but Donald Trump remained president. The victory changed the legislative balance, allowing Democrats to block proposals, investigate the administration, and challenge appointments without taking over the executive branch.

Congress has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. A party that controls both can set much of the legislative agenda and decide which proposals receive attention. This is a major national power because Congress writes federal laws, approves spending, conducts oversight, and handles many appointments.

The key mechanism is control of each chamber’s procedures. Major legislation generally needs approval from both the House and Senate before reaching the president. Committees can hold hearings and request information. The Senate also considers judicial and senior government appointments, giving its majority leverage over the executive branch.

This power remains balanced by the president’s authority and other constitutional limits. A congressional majority cannot simply govern alone. In the article, Democratic control creates the ability to block Trump’s legislation, investigate his administration, and thwart appointments, while Trump remains able to use executive orders.

Congress can make a president’s agenda much harder to achieve when the opposing party controls it. Proposed laws must pass through Congress before becoming legislation. A hostile majority can refuse to advance them, rewrite them, or prevent agreement between the two chambers.

Congress also has investigative and oversight powers. Committees can examine executive agencies, hold hearings, and demand explanations about government actions. The article specifically says Democrats could launch investigations into Trump’s administration. In the Senate, the majority can also use its role in appointments to block or delay nominees for courts and senior government positions.

These powers create friction rather than automatically ending presidential authority. Trump remains president and can continue using executive orders, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz predicted. The result is a divided government, where legislation and appointments face resistance but the executive branch continues operating.

The US separates executive and legislative power. Voters elect a president for a fixed four-year term, while congressional elections choose lawmakers separately. A midterm result can therefore replace the party controlling Congress without replacing the president. The election changes legislative power, not the White House itself.

That is what happened in the article. Democrats seized control of Congress after the November 3 vote, but Donald Trump continued exercising presidential powers. The new majority could block legislation, investigate his administration, and challenge appointments. It could not automatically remove him simply by winning the midterms.

The practical effect is divided government. The president still directs the executive branch and can use tools such as executive orders. Congress can respond through legislation, oversight, funding decisions, and appointment votes. Germany’s Friedrich Merz argued that Trump had already governed by bypassing Congress and would likely continue doing so.

An executive order is a formal instruction from the president to executive-branch officials. It directs how agencies should administer existing laws or manage government operations. It is not the same as a statute passed by Congress, and it cannot lawfully override the Constitution or a valid federal law.

The political advantage is speed and independence from congressional approval. When Congress refuses to pass a president’s proposal, an administration may use an executive order if existing legal authority permits it. Courts, Congress, or a later president can limit, overturn, or replace such actions. They also cannot permanently create powers that only Congress may provide.

The article presents this as Trump’s likely route after the Democratic victory. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump had governed largely by bypassing Congress over the previous two years. Merz expected him to continue using executive orders, even while Democrats controlled Congress.

Other governments care because US decisions reach far beyond Washington. The president and Congress together shape legislation, spending, oversight, appointments, and pressure on foreign governments. A change in congressional control can therefore alter America’s positions on war, trade, alliances, and diplomacy, even when the president remains the same.

The article gives several examples. EU diplomat Kaja Kallas hoped the new Congress would continue supporting Ukraine and pressure Russia. Canada said it would keep reducing economic dependence on the United States after Trump’s tariffs. Iran’s supreme leader dismissed hopes that a political shift would change US hostility, while Russia hoped Trump would continue his peacemaking efforts.

Other leaders linked the result to wider global relations. South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa called it a possible new era in world relations. The reactions show that foreign governments were watching both Trump’s authority and Congress’s ability to constrain or support his choices.