Trump faces restraints as Democrats win House

Donald Trump faced restraints on his presidency after Democrats won control of the US House of Representatives and pledged to hold the Republicans accountable after a tumultuous two years in the White House.

Trump and his fellow Republicans expanded their control of the US Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, following a divisive campaign marked by fierce clashes over race and immigration.

But they lost their majority in the House, a setback for Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership.

With some races still undecided, Democrats were headed for a gain of more than 30 seats, beyond the 23 they needed to claim their first majority in the 435-member House in eight years.

The elections have already made history, with a record number of women, Native Americans, and Muslim candidates running for office.

Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar won in their Democrat-safe seats becoming the first Muslim congresswomen, while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history as the youngest woman to join Congress.

Commenting on the Democrats taking the House, CNN’s Van Jones pointed to the diversity of candidates that won seats in this midterms, saying that the “new Democratic Party” is now “younger, browner” and cooler”.

“It is the end of one-party rule in the United States, thank God, and the beginning of a new Democratic Party: Younger, browner, cooler, more women, more veterans.”

Seizing the Senate had never looked a likely prospect for the Democrats, and in the event they fell short of a tidal wave of voter support that would have given them control of both chambers of Congress.

Winning the Senate majority would have allowed Democrats to apply the brakes even more firmly on Trump’s policy agenda and given them the ability to block any future Supreme Court nominees.

However, the Democrats will now head House committees that can investigate the president’s tax returns, possible business conflicts of interest and links between his 2016 election campaign and Russia.

The Democrats also could force Trump to scale back his legislative ambitions, possibly dooming his promises to fund a border wall with Mexico, pass a second major tax-cut package, or carry out his hardline policies on trade.

“Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about restoring the Constitution’s checks and balances to the Trump administration,” Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House Democrats, said at the victory party.

Despite his party’s poor showing in House elections, Trump wrote on Twitter, “Tremendous success tonight”.

Trump — a 72-year-old former reality TV star and businessman-turned-politician — had hardened his rhetoric in recent weeks on issues that appealed to his conservative core supporters.

He threw himself into the campaign, issuing warnings about a caravan of Latin American migrants headed to the border with Mexico and condemnations of liberal American “mobs” he says oppose him.

US presidents often lose the House in midterm elections in their first term. Former President Barack Obama’s Democrats were hit with what he called a

“shellacking” in congressional elections in 2010. With divided leadership in Congress and a president who has taken an expansive view of executive power, Washington could be in store for even deeper political polarisation and legislative gridlock.

European shares rebounded yesterday after the US elections delivered no big surprise.

“With the Democrats taking over the House we will now have to see what gridlock in Congress means for policy. As for the market impact, a split Congress has historically been bullish for equities and we expect to see the same pattern again,” said Torsten Slok, Chief International Economist of Deutsche Bank.

Investors often favour Washington gridlock because it preserves the status quo and reduces uncertainty, even though many in the market this time around had been hoping for a continuation of the Republican agenda.

The Democratic gains were fuelled by women, young and Hispanic voters, a Reuters/Ipsos Election Day poll found. Fifty-five percent of women said they backed a Democrat for the House this year, compared to 49 percent in the 2014 midterm congressional election.

Voters between the ages of 18 and 34 backed Democrats by 62 percent to 34 percent, up from 2014 when 54 percent backed Democrats and 36 percent supported Republicans. — Al Jazeera