A meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks increasingly doubtful for the president's November trip to Asia, analysts say, following a heavy Republican defeat in the U.S. midterm elections, The Hindu reports.
Mr. Trump had earlier suggested he "may" see Mr. Kim this month and called the prospect exciting. By October he had softened that, saying he was not sure anyone was requesting a meeting, though he described his relationship with Mr. Kim as very good.
The midterms, held on Tuesday (November 3), delivered control of both chambers of Congress to the Democrats — a broad rejection of the president's party and its policies.
Why it matters
The result reshapes the final two years of Mr. Trump's term. Democrats now hold the microphone on trade and can use Congress's funding powers to press the White House for concessions, according to The Hindu, though they remain short of the votes needed to override a presidential veto on tariffs or to claw back trade authorities.
Abroad, the loss lands at a delicate moment. The president is weighing whether to resume full-scale bombardment of Iran or reach a settlement, a decision with consequences for Iran, West Asia and the global economy. Taiwan's defence minister, Wellington Koo, said on Thursday (November 5) that Congress would keep helping Taipei strengthen its defences, noting that a second American arms package worth about $14 billion has stalled even after Mr. Trump approved an $11 billion sale last December.
Trump points to Iran war and inflation
Mr. Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran, now eight months old and unpopular, contributed to the Republican losses, while saying he would do it again, according to Rediff and News On AIR. The Guardian reported that a day after the rout he was boasting about a "magnificent" ballroom.
Inflation did much of the damage. The AP Voter Poll, a survey of roughly 100,000 midterm voters cited by The Hindu, found most believed the president's own policies had curbed growth and pushed costs higher. His argument that Democrat Joe Biden was to blame did not persuade voters, who saw prices rise after last year's tariff surge and energy costs jump once the Iran war began in February.
Vance distances himself as 2028 talk grows
Vice President J.D. Vance said the administration, not the public, had drifted from America First politics, calling the result a direct consequence of its policies and naming the Iran war in particular. The Hindu describes the remarks as a measured but pointed break with the president's direction, and one that many read as a rebellion.
Politically, the move appears to have helped him. Mr. Vance is described as the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2028, with the defeat strengthening rather than weakening his standing and dimming the prospects of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a conventional Christian conservative who joined the America First movement largely for political convenience, according to The Hindu.
Other fallout
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (November 4) that he hoped Democratic gains would bring more American help for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Mr. Trump publicly backed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth when asked whether he was considering a replacement after the losses.
In Tehran, protesters burned banners depicting Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On the congressional side, Indian-American physician Amish Shah, 48, won Arizona's First Congressional District on Wednesday, becoming the first person from that community to represent the state in Congress and the sixth Indian American elected to the House. Analysts also told The Hindu that China may use Mr. Trump's remaining two years to press Taiwan harder, especially if Beijing concludes Washington is distracted or that the president would accept terms in exchange for not intervening.
What to watch: whether Mr. Trump escalates or settles with Iran now that the election is over, and whether the new Democratic Congress turns its funding power into leverage on trade.
