In the photo, Donald Trump is standing behind the desk in the Oval Office, with his fists resting on the table and his gaze fixed on the camera. Above the image, in capital letters, is a reminder: “Trump is still your president.” It was the White House who published it on A post that many interpreted as a threat.
At the same time, Vice President JD Vance gave an explanation for the defeat that called into question one of Trump’s most important decisions: “We lost because of the war.” The “day after” of the Republican Party already seems very long, while discontent is growing towards the presidency which nevertheless seems to be entrenched in its power.
Vance points to the political cost of the war in Iran
Trump had already acknowledged, on election night, that the conflict with Iran had weighed on the vote, but defended his decision to go to war. Vance went further. In his post on The vice president also acknowledged that the party’s message on the economy may have been lax in the final weeks of the campaign. In his reading, many voters who had chosen Trump in 2024 returned to the polls and this time voted for the Democrats.
A joke collected by CNN also shows how clear the defeat was. A Trump adviser called the Democratic success “too big to rig.” It is the same expression that Trump had used to describe his victory in 2024, this time referring to the margin of his opponents.
Schumer to Trump: “The days of the supine Senate are over”
Meanwhile, the Dems are on a battle footing. Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats in the Senate, has indicated the war as the first area of conflict with the White House. “The American people don’t know what the hell we’re fighting for in Iran,” he said in the press conference after the vote, accusing Trump of having repeatedly changed his explanation of the objectives of the conflict. “This war must end.” Schumer claims he can also count on some Republicans and has indicated spending measures as one of the tools with which the new majority will be able to put pressure on the administration.
The other front will be that of parliamentary investigations. Schumer announced that the Democrats will use the oversight powers of Congress to shed light on cases of alleged corruption in the administration and that, faced with violations of the law, they are ready to appeal to the courts. He listed the cost of living as a priority for the new majority: “We will work to reduce prices for Americans, with Trump or without.” In short, the challenge against the tycoon seems to have just begun.