THE FUSE

While South Africans cast their votes on Wednesday, America’s midterm results were coming in, delivering a stunning rebuke to President Donald Trump’s administration: Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, including seats in Republican strongholds nobody expected them to win.

First, a quick lesson in American politics. Midterms happen halfway through a president’s four-year term. Americans do not vote for president, but they elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and roughly a third of the Senate.

Together, these two chambers make up Congress, which passes laws, approves government spending and holds the president accountable – a bit like our Parliament. Think of these elections as an opportunity for voters to give the president a midterm report card.

The Democrats have secured at least 54 of the Senate’s 100 seats and a majority in the House, with some races still being counted.

But the real shock is where they won. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the Senate in 94 years. In Texas, James Talarico broke a 32-year Republican winning streak in statewide elections. Democrats also flipped Senate seats in South Carolina, Iowa and North Carolina. Even an Indiana congressional district Trump won by nearly 17 percentage points in 2024 went blue.

Why the extraordinary backlash? Voters have been frustrated by rising prices, inflation and the US-Israel war on Iran, which has pushed up fuel costs. Concerns about corruption and Trump’s immigration crackdown also featured prominently. According to Reuters, Republicans lost ground in 99% of counties where most votes had been counted.

When the new Congress takes office on 3 January, Democrats will be able to block Trump’s legislation, reject his appointments and launch investigations into his administration. They could also use their control over government spending to challenge further funding for the war in Iran.

But Trump is not powerless. He can still issue executive orders and veto legislation. Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers, which Democrats do not have on their own. So does impeaching Trump.

Republicans also retained important strongholds, including Florida. Trump insists the results are not a personal rejection. Still, his final two years in office look dramatically different.

Even President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the result could improve South Africa’s strained relationship with Washington. The American voters have spoken. The question now is how much their new Congress can actually change.