After the midterms: Europe’s three-pronged strategy for dealing with America
marianna.liana…
Wed, 11/04/2026 – 10:31
5 minutes
The Democrats’ midterm victory marks the start of Trump’s ‘lame-duck’ term. Three different actors will shape the next two years: a Congress focused on domestic issues, an embattled president increasingly inclined to pursue an unpredictable foreign policy, and a broader US public beginning to debate the country’s future ahead of the 2028 presidential election. To improve transatlantic relations, Europe needs a strategy for each of them: build coalitions in the new Congress, manage Trump’s foreign policy unpredictability, and lay the groundwork for the relationship beyond 2028.
Engage with Congress, but know its limits
For the first time in either of Trump’s two terms, Democrats will control both chambers of Congress. They are likely to focus primarily on domestic issues. The House will investigate members of the administration and their allies and could withhold funding for the president’s priorities. The Senate will control the confirmation process for administration appointees and new Supreme Court justices.
On foreign policy, Congress has fewer …read more