Estonian MEP: Trump's wings will be clipped after midterm election results

Democratic gains in the U.S. midterm elections will make it far more difficult for President Donald Trump to advance his legislative agenda and reshape his administration, although foreign policy will largely remain in his hands, MEP Sven Mikser of the Social Democratic Party said.
Mikser said it was difficult to predict how the Democratic victory would affect Estonia, but it would have a major impact on U.S. domestic politics.
"President Trump's wings will certainly be clipped quite significantly, and his ability to push his legislative agenda through Congress is essentially nonexistent after Democrats gained control of both chambers," Mikser said.
According to Mikser, whose political career includes serving as Estonia's foreign minister and twice as defense minister, time will tell whether the election results lead Trump to act more aggressively, more intensively, or more unpredictably in foreign policy.
"The most acute concerns around the world are probably related to what Trump may do toward Iran in the coming months. There has been speculation that he could reopen a more intensive phase of military action after the midterm elections," Mikser said.
Mikser predicted that increased Democratic power could lead to investigations targeting key members of the Trump administration over possible corruption.
"This administration has been viewed as one of the most corrupt in history, and Democrats will certainly scrutinize some of the most notable cases and seek testimony from key administration figures before Congress. It is difficult to say whether that could lead to dismissals or resignations," Mikser said.
He noted that removing a president from office would face a particularly high threshold.
"Democrats may have a majority in the Senate, but not enough, for example, to convict a president. The legal threshold for impeachment is also very high and requires proof of serious abuses of power and constitutional violations. Democrats may choose not to pursue that path," Mikser said.
At the same time, he argued that Trump's freedom to make changes within his administration would be significantly reduced.
"The Senate confirms members of the administration. President Trump will certainly have difficulty getting his preferred appointees and senior officials confirmed when Democrats hold at least 54 of the Senate's 100 seats," Mikser said.
One of the biggest points of contention between Democrats and Republicans is likely to be the federal budget.
"Control of the purse strings rests with the House of Representatives. Democrats are expected to secure a substantial majority there, much larger than forecasts suggested just weeks ago. That will certainly give them some leverage," Mikser said.
At the same time, he said Democrats will also find it difficult to impose their agenda on the president because many areas of U.S. politics remain heavily centered on executive power.
"Within the first hours after the results, Trump said he intended to work with the new Democratic majority in Congress, but at the same time threatened to veto any initiatives that do not align with his agenda. So nobody should expect smooth cooperation," Mikser said.
Discussing foreign policy, Mikser noted that congressional majorities have generally supported Ukraine, including when Republicans were in control. However, because the administration wields substantial authority in foreign affairs, he does not expect major policy shifts in either direction.
More than Ukraine, Mikser said he would be watching developments in U.S. Middle East policy.
"Shortly before the midterm elections, Trump made some unexpected statements about future U.S. support for Israel, where elections were also held only a week earlier and a new governing coalition had not yet been formed. There has also been speculation that he could open a new phase of military action toward Iran, which would certainly shake global security quite profoundly. And not only security, but also people's sense of economic stability," Mikser said.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Argo Ideon










