President Donald Trump can still wield considerable political power over the next two years despite the Democratic Party’s sweeping midterm-election victory, according to historian and conservative writer Victor Davis Hanson.
In an interview with Epoch Times senior editor Jan Jekielek on Nov. 4, Hanson suggested that Trump could follow historical precedent and use executive orders and vetoes to push his agenda, but would also face limitations because Democrats hold majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.
Hanson also suggested that Republican and Democratic contenders for the 2028 presidential election could emerge soon after the midterm elections.
As of Nov. 6, Democrats were projected to win at least 54 Senate seats and 253 House seats, with two Senate races and 22 House races still to be called.
“What does a president do when he’s lost the House and Senate by wide margins? And the answer is pretty much what he wants to do,” Hanson said.
“A lot of the lame duck presidents feel they’re unbound and they have nothing to lose. They can no longer hurt their congressional majorities or minorities. They’re going to be out in two years, and they’re going to executive order and veto their way domestically.”
Following the midterms, Hanson told The Epoch Times he believes Trump will continue to attempt to denuclearize Iran and end the war as quickly as possible. He suggested that Trump might launch strikes against Iran’s nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain or other targets before leaving a skeleton force in the area, focusing on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and tightening economic sanctions.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that he will decide soon whether to restart major military operations against Iran but that he preferred to negotiate a deal with Tehran.
Hanson told The Epoch Times that there is nothing Democratic lawmakers will be able to do to help Trump or to hurt him with regard to Iran.
In addition, Hanson said Trump will still have authority to shape America’s foreign policy, including with China and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
On the other hand, the historian and conservative writer said the incoming Congress is unlikely to approve any of Trump’s Supreme Court, district court, or cabinet member nominations, giving the president only two months to make additional appointments.
Hanson told Jekielek that he expects Democratic lawmakers will also remove the Senate filibuster. Although not required by the Constitution, the Senate filibuster is a long-standing parliamentary tool that requires 60 votes to end debate on legislation and pass most bills, rather than a simple majority.
After Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats and won over 250 House seats, Hanson predicted the Republican Party would not be able to retake both chambers of Congress in 2028.
“With these huge leads, it’s going to take them two or three elections,” he said. “It did last time.”
Hanson also predicted that the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominee will be “from the left” of the party.
“If that president should win with this Congress, then you can see what 2029 is going to be like. It’s going to be pack the court, let in two new states. … They’ll pack the court with 15 liberal judges. They’ll probably defund ICE. They’ll restore USAID on steroids and make sure it’s bulletproof this time around and [give] left-wing governments abroad help,” he said.
Hanson told The Epoch Times that the Democratic Party will have the political power to make those changes unless the Republicans regroup and Trump secures major foreign policy achievements, uses executive orders and vetoes to block legislation, and finds ways to work with Democratic lawmakers on bipartisan issues, such as lowering the debt.
After Tuesday’s election, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Democratic Party’s “number one focus” would be lowering costs for Americans.
Schumer added that Democrat lawmakers would also address issues like healthcare and electricity and ending the Iran war to lower gasoline and diesel prices. Democrats “should investigate” the Trump administration, he said.
However, Hanson warned that if Democrats use their majorities in Congress to launch investigations into Trump instead of focusing on the issues Americans care about, it could allow Trump to rebound from the midterms.
Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential election, Hanson said he expects to see potential Republican and Democratic candidates emerge soon and predicted that there will be “a fight” in both parties following the midterms.
Hanson questioned who might be the winner of what he described as a “disaster” for the Republican Party in the midterms, suggesting people could point to Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Just one day after the election, Vance released a statement listing multiple factors, including the Iran war, as the reason for the Republican midterm losses. Meanwhile, DeSantis held a press conference and described the results as “close to an extinction-level event” for the Republican Party.
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