The Irish Times view on the US midterms: blue wave engulfs Trump

It was more of a blowout than the most optimistic Democrat could have imagined. Winning the House popular vote by the widest margin since the post-Watergate landslide of 1974, the party took both chambers with far bigger majorities than predicted. In Republican heartlands from Iowa to South Carolina, the party took Senate seats, and Kansas elected its first Democratic senator in almost a century.

In the House, projections point to a Democratic advantage of historic proportions.

It was a good night too for Democrats seeking governorships. Gina Hinojosa unseated Greg Abbott in Texas, and in Georgia Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first black woman elected governor in US history.

The vote is a repudiation of Donald Trump by part of the electoral coalition that handed him victory two years ago. Dissatisfaction with the president’s record on the cost of living, worsened by tariffs and the war with Iran, turned young men and Hispanics in particular against him.

Some things are worth celebrating. The shameless gerrymandering that disfigures American democracy could not thwart the will of the voters. The grotesque sums poured by Elon Musk and his ilk into races in Texas and Ohio failed to staunch Republican bleeding.

Democrats will exult in this remarkable comeback just two years after the humiliation of 2024. Now they must decide on a strategy for the rest of Trump’s term. Significant legislation is unlikely, with the president vowing to veto anything he dislikes.

Although diminished, Trump retains substantial room for manoeuvre, especially on foreign policy, and will doubtless keep stretching executive authority to breaking point. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, set to lead the two chambers, may use their investigative powers to expose corruption in the administration. But the party must also weigh what the results mean for the coming contest for its presidential nomination. Strong showings by moderates in the south and midwest will encourage centrists, though the progressive Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan offers a counter-argument for the left.

For Republicans the questions are far harder. Trump’s hold may be slipping but he can still sway the Maga base as it seeks a successor. The contradictions of the movement he has led will now surface, with unpredictable consequences.

Profound questions remain about the American political system itself. Two years ago voters punished a Democratic administration they saw as indifferent to their economic struggles. Now they have punished its Republican successor. It is far from clear the Democrats have answers to poverty, inequality, social dislocation and a ballooning debt. The US remains a troubled giant with no coherent sense of direction.