Snap Insight: US midterms – what an angry ‘lame duck’ president could mean for Asia - CNA

US President Donald Trump was sharply rebuked by American voters, and he could now turn his attention to foreign policy, says Kevin Chen from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

President Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Kevin Chen 04 Nov 2026 04:53PM (Updated: 05 Nov 2026 08:35AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: United States President Donald Trump was not on the ballot, but he had asked Americans to vote in the midterm elections as if he were. 

The response was clear: Democrats have taken back control of both chambers of Congress from his Republican Party.

The election was effectively a referendum on Mr Trump’s policies: Voters were upset over his handling of the economy and related issues such as affordability. Disapproval of Mr Trump’s foreign policy, in particular the Iran War and its repercussions for energy prices, also soured voters from Republican candidates. 

This frustration fuelled not just a blue wave, but a blue tsunami that Republican redistricting efforts could not block.