An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person. - Leo Tolstoy
Reflections on the outcome of the US 2026 midterm elections.
Estimated 12 billion dollars were spent in the 2026 midterm elections.
Although somewhat expected, the Republican loss of both chambers of Congress came as a shock to many Americans. Who is to blame?
The president went to more than thirty rallies to energize his voter base asking people to vote as if he were on the ballot.
Those who love Trump, saw the same energetic, jovial man telling them stories about himself, his successful policies and the cake they would eat when the Republicans came out victorious. Those who despise Trump, saw a bombastic, arrogant man completely divorced from reality. A man who believed that the Left's affordability claim was a hoax. A man unable to understand that he broke the promises he made to the American people after the disastrous presidency of Joe Biden.
Trump promised to close the borders, curb inflation, and reduce the cost of living. He promised the golden age and that he would not launch new military ventures.
A quick action in Venezuela was a success. So was the surprise night operation in Iran. The border was closed, violent crime and illegal immigration under control, gas and egg prices down, job markets thriving. What else could people ask for in such a short time?
But the new immigration policy and the militant pursuit of illegal immigrants has thrown many cities into uproar.
Tariffs and the soured relations with allies around the world made the president look strong to some, but totally incompetent to others. And then came the war with Iran which was regarded as a total betrayal by many Trump supporters. Billions of dollars were diverted to the conflict that produced casualties, threw the Middle East into chaos, and produced quagmire with no positive outcome in sight. Trump supporters held their breath while watching the president taking a wrecking ball to the edifice of his own economic legacy... and the East Wing of the White House.
As the gas prices soared and with them the cost of food and everything else, the president seemed to be stuck in denial, probably hoping that the situation will change quickly after the midterms. Not good enough.
The Left took advantage of the growing discontent and promised change. The extreme left socialist candidates, ran on affordability and without even explaining how they are actually going to do it, they promised free universal healthcare, abolishment of ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) and many other goodies. And they won! People voted as if Trump were on the ballot and told him "You are fired!" Many voted against Trump and not necessarily for the progressive ideology or the socialist agenda. The Republicans in Congress got pink slips. Republican candidates lost big in solid red states. Texas went blue and might never recover from this shock. California was red once, look at it today.
The tragedy of Donald Trump is that his long term vision for peace in the Middle East and a world without Iran as a nuclear bomb wielding power collided with the immediate need of the American society for better living conditions. He appeared unable or unwilling to admit failure or even to comprehend that his military escapade resulted in ever growing discontent.
It's the economy, stupid. - Bill Clinton, 1992
Republicans lost despite the healthy economic growth of 3.4% in the third quarter of 2026, the surprisingly good employment numbers and the steadily improving poverty index. Unfortunately, many Americans experienced a very different reality. Inflation remained high and the gap between the very wealthy and very poor widened even more. The wealth of the richest 0,1% of American households increased 7,000 fold in comparison to the growth experienced by the poorest households in America.
After the midterm losses to Republicans, to accentuate his ability to veto any policy advocated by the new Congress, in January 2014 president Obama stated that he had a pen and a phone. In the aftermath of the 2026 midterm losses, president Trump declared his willingness to work with the Democrats but he also mentioned that he was now the veto man.
Americans can only hope that their president has the humility and the wisdom to work with the opposition. Blaming hostile news networks and lackluster Republican candidates for the midterm losses alone will not solve the problems in America. Admission of failure and a moment of deep self reflection might help reconcile the Republican base if the Republicans want to regain control of Congress and win the White House in 2028.
Post scriptum
My late husband James, former US Marine and a patriot who passed away in December 2023, would have been shocked at the outcome of the 2026 midterms. He would have proudly voted for Donald J. Trump for the second time in 2024. He would have been proud of the success the US military achieved in quick operations in Venezuela (January 2026) and Iran (February 2026), but I am uncertain what he would have thought about the current turmoil in the Middle East and the unresolved conflict with Iran. He was aware of the terrorist threat that Iran presented to the US, Israel and the West since 1979 and would have appreciated the president's courage to openly address it, but he might have wished that the president waited for a few more months before going into a war that went on and off, giving Iran time to attack its neighbors in the region and to completely derail the crude oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Should the president have worked on strengthening the economy first, winning the midterms and developing a winning strategy before launching the war with Iran?
By Dominique Allmon
Dominique Allmon©2026
Image by Sebastian Schuster on Unsplash
