Humanity wins USA midterm elections, but the Trump menace remains, By Owei Lakemfa

Generally, the world has been made far less safe by Trump, the American voters are aware of this and, want to reclaim their country from the MAGAs. They demonstrated this by employing their votes. Ironically, many Republicans may not be unhappy with the turn of events as they also want to reclaim their party, or what is left of it, from the riotous MAGA mob.

President Donald Trump of the United States, US still appears dazed from the severe electoral blows he received from his fellow citizens in the 2026 Midterm Elections. Living under messianic illusions, he cannot believe and, is yet to come to terms that the aura of indispensability he created around himself has evaporated. He first accepted the humiliating defeat which has set Democrats firmly in the leadership seats of the Congress and the Senate where his fellow Republicans lost seven seats. Then he issues threats: “Democrats will send things that are insane and I will veto them.” He may not have realized that the new Senate is not the old one that pampered and, allowed him to get away with mass murders including burying Iranian school children under the rubbles of their classrooms or, playing Al Pacino-like gangsterism across the globe.

Trump and his fellow MAGA lost the elections for various reasons including the fact that they could not understand that inflation is biting hard in the country. When I was in the US in October, common complaints I heard included rising costs of grocery and fuel. The people were also tired of gangsterism in the streets by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE agents. Even as Trump and his allies talked glibly about war in Iran, the American citizenry seemed war-weary. Ironically, Trump appeared to have misread the situation. On 2 November, the eve of the elections, he said there had been no US attacks against Iran in two months and wandered whether this was actually a war. He thought the best way to bolster the low Republican ratings in the polls was to immediately attack Iran. He did that day, unaware that he was further digging his political grave. As we say in Nigeria, he was actually pouring petrol to the fire roasting the Republicans.

He also might not have realized that the rising global cries against war, were reaching receptive ears in the US. He claims the rising prices of oil in the world due to his undeclared war against Iran, have benefited the US as the country makes more money from oil including the crude theft of Venezuelan oil. But his knowledge of economics is so limited that he did not realise that the war and unstable crude oil prices has led to global economic crises which are pushing the boundaries of inflation in the US itself. In other words, the resultant global economic downturn also has negative effects in the streets of the US.

Also, the global tariff wars inflicted by Trump on various countries including neighbouring Canada and far away China, have also negatively affected the US and, many Americans are tired of wars whether economic, military or anti-immigrant.

Trump might have had the delusion that he is a modern day American Cowboy, gunslinging and wiping out bad boys like the Iranian leadership. He did not realise that such behaviour was what was to be ashamed about not, glorified.

So, with the US unable to protect its allies in the Gulf when the Iranians retaliated, traditional European countries ignoring Trump calls to rally and jointly invade Iran and, the US inability to even protect the Strait of Hormuz, US had lost face. Basically, it is losing the war against Iran and, not a few Americans are unaware.

There is also the issue of Trump portraying the US as being so lawless and cowardly, that without declaring war, it invaded the bedroom of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, abducting him and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores. Today, he holds them in US detention without being able to press the so-called charges of drug running against them. Instead, all the US is doing is, shadow-boxing, holding the couple illegally, preventing elections from being held in Venezuela and stealing that country’s oil and gas.

The American voters are also weary of their country being isolated globally even by traditional European allies against whom Trump threatened war in order to seize the Danish colony of Greenland.

Generally, the world has been made far less safe by Trump, the American voters are aware of this and, want to reclaim their country from the MAGAs. They demonstrated this by employing their votes. Ironically, many Republicans may not be unhappy with the turn of events as they also want to reclaim their party, or what is left of it, from the riotous MAGA mob.

Another issue that affected the Republicans was the choice or imposition of candidates. For instance, it had former Texas Attorney General Ken Warren Paxton as its Senatorial candidate in Texas. The challenge was that Paxton had on 28 July, 2015 been indicted by a grand jury on three criminal charges. Two of the counts were on securities fraud (a first degree felony) and the third, for failing to register with state securities regulators. This 63-year old, was a contrast with the 37-year-old Democratic candidate, James Dell Talarico, a former high school English Language teacher and advocate of increased school funding. Talarico secured 5,445,121 or 55.1 per cent of the votes and, Paxton, 4,249,752 or 43 per cent. Another case was Michael Whatley, said to be very supportive of Trump. He ran for Senate in North Carolina and got 1,643,088 votes while Democratic candidate, Roy Cooper won with 2,467,963 votes.

But the Trump effect was not all round negative. The voters reaction to him might also have produced some positive results. For instance, it produced Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black Woman Governor in 250 years of US history and,

Democrat, Deb Haaland of New Mexico as the first Native American woman Governor in US history. It also produced the first Muslim Senator, First female Native Senator and first Gen Z woman in Congress. For us in Nigeria, four Nigerian-Americans won elections in Maryland, Washington, Texas and Pennsylvania.

World reaction to the changes in the US are as expected, varied. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei does not foresee any fundamental shift in US policy towards his country. He therefore declared: “Those who still harbour even the slightest hope that the behaviour of the hegemonic system might change through partisan or factional shifts, or who imagine that making concessions to the United States can dissuade it from hostility towards the Iranian nation, are seriously mistaken.”

The hope of the European Union is the continuation and prolongation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Its Vice President Kaja Kallas said she hopes the new Congress will continue supporting Ukraine. This is in contrast to Trump’s salutary efforts to end the senseless bloodshed.

Generally, the outcome of the US midterm elections, is a plus for the human race. We look forward to a safer, saner world with Trump safely out of the White House.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.