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The US midterm elections have resulted in a blue wave, with the Democratic Party securing majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, shifting the balance of legislative power on Capitol Hill.
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00:10Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're joining us live here on India Today for our special
00:14broadcast of the U.S. midterm results. I'm standing in front of Capitol Hill, obviously
00:20virtually transported myself there. But this is now a wave of blue that swept through Capitol
00:26Hill. In results that have stunned Donald Trump, the Democrats have seized both the House
00:32of Representatives and the Senate. Many saw it coming. Many are saying that this is a message
00:38to Donald Trump on inflation, on rising costs, on the wall. But over the next one hour on this
00:43broadcast, that's exactly what we're going to decode for you about what Americans want to say
00:48to Donald Trump. Was this a message against Trump or for Democrats? Who are the big winners,
00:55the big surprises, the big upsets? We'll break all of that down for you, along with our in-house
01:00experts and analysts to give you the overall picture in America, yes, but also talk about
01:06the impact it has on India and geopolitically. Let's begin by talking about some historic firsts
01:13in the U.S. midterms. And these are faces driven. What am I talking about? Well, for the first time,
01:19you will have the first openly gay man who will be sitting in the U.S. Senate, Chris
01:25Pappas, Senator-elect from New Hampshire. History right there. Juliana Stratton, Senator-elect from
01:32Illinois, is in fact going to be serving in the U.S. Senate for the first time. A black
01:40woman, Abdul Al-Sahid, who's of course faced a lot of communal hate from Donald Trump,
01:46Senator-elect from Michigan, first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Senate. You have a mayor in
01:53Mamdani, and now you have a senator as well. Peggy Flanagan, Senator-elect from Minnesota,
02:00is the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate from New Mexico.
02:08And then you have a Palestinian Muslim woman elected to the New York State Legislature,
02:15Abir Khawaz. Gina Hinojosa is the governor-elect from Texas, first Latina-elected governor of Texas.
02:24So very interesting firsts there that we're seeing. And this kind of, you know, representation
02:30itself in America, many say, is messaging once again to Donald Trump. Let me bring in on this
02:37broadcast Michael Cassie, the White House correspondent for O'Keefe Media Group, currently
02:42based in Palm Beach of Florida. Michael, I know it's early in the morning for you, so we appreciate
02:47your time for joining us here on India Today. Welcome to our broadcast. America waking up to a
02:52historic midterm result. What to you is really the biggest headline from this result, Michael?
03:00Well, thank you so much for having me. Good morning. Thank you. Yeah, it's very interesting
03:04results. And I think the biggest thing happening right now is that, you know, some races aren't
03:09called yet. It looks like Mississippi, a historically very Republican state in the Deep South. The U.S.
03:22of hundreds of thousands cast. So there's definitely going to be a lot more to come in in these outstanding
03:29races over the next few days. So we're going to see how big of a Democratic wave this was. You
03:35know,
03:35will they get, you know, up to 55 seats? Will it stay down to 53, 54 seats? We're going to
03:40see now
03:41just how many seats are still left to call. And a 28-to-vote margin, especially in a state like
03:47Mississippi, is just incredible. You know, you're very rare to see something like that. And it's about
03:52like 96 percent reporting right now. So that'll be very interesting to watch over the next few
03:56days to see the last few ballots being cast and to see or being counted and seeing where that state
04:02ends up. You know, as a White House correspondent, I'm curious to know, what do you make of Donald
04:07Trump's reaction so far to these results? So it's going to be very interesting to see what he does.
04:15You know, I think that President Trump, he had a very mixed response. You know, he, you know,
04:21he graduated the Democrats and, you know, he wished them well, wished to work with them. And I think
04:25that he does genuinely mean that. I think that President Trump does want, you know, to, you know,
04:31work, work in any way he can to, you know, any of the allies he can. And then keep in
04:35mind, a lot of
04:36these incoming senators and congressmen are going to be from very traditionally Republican areas. So
04:40some of them may not want to be super combative in the beginning, outright in the beginning. So we'll see
04:45if there's going to be some common ground there they can find. That being said, he also put out
04:50his veto hat picture, he put out the red hat graphic with the veto on it. So he's going to
04:55call himself
04:56Mr. Veto now. So I think the now president, which President Trump will likely be doing now, is going
05:01to be just, you know, to do a lot of vetoes. President Trump has been a president who has
05:05definitely been, you know, utilized the power the executive branch has. And I think we've received
05:12more so now a lot more executive action being taken. I think the big, a big roadblock for him now
05:17will be just getting a lot of these nominees confirmed, you know, in the last two years.
05:22So I think, you know, in the next few months, he's going to try his best to just squeeze in
05:27as many
05:27nominees and confirmations as he can. Because that's going to be one of his most difficult
05:32roadblocks over the next two years.
05:35Michael, how do you see this particular verdict that's come in? You know, do you think that it's
05:40a message against Trump, that this is bad news for Donald Trump, because it's Americans who are
05:45choosing to send him a message that they want a supervisory layer above him? They want this
05:50oversight over Trump, not just that he can bulldoze any of the legislations that he wants? Is that the
05:58message? Yeah, I mean, I think it definitely is, you know, not good news for the president to have
06:04these results. Unfortunately for him, you know, he's going to have to deal with now. Indeed, I'm sure
06:09he'd always want to deal with a Republican Senate and House and Republican governors. Now he's going
06:14to have to deal with the Democrats now. And I think there will be a lot, you know, there will
06:19be
06:19definitely, I'd be surprised if there wasn't an impeachment, you know, which I don't think will
06:24be successful. I think it'll be more of a symbolic impeachment like it was the first two times,
06:28which, you know, I think, I think it's give and take. I think President Trump definitely needed
06:35and wanted more allies in Congress to pass, to get his nominees confirmed to pass his agenda over
06:42the next two years. However, I will say, to some extent, though, President Trump, I think,
06:47likes to have a foil. He likes to have somewhat of a, to have, you know, have, you know,
06:53these, you know, duke it out in public and have these, like, you know, like, someone to,
06:57you know, have someone to combat with in public and everything. He likes to have, like, these,
07:02you know, his villains, I guess, you know, he can go after and everything. So I wouldn't count
07:08him out fully now. I mean, it's going to be rough two years now of battles in Congress and
07:15confirmations now with him. But I also wouldn't completely rule out the fact that he's going to be
07:19able to pull a few stops on his end, too. Like I said, he does utilize the executive power a
07:25lot.
07:26I think that President Trump's reaction, one form of hearing and seeing from a lot of sources is that
07:32the White House isn't too deterred by this. I think that, you know, the message that he's
07:36portraying right now is, you know, when he was on the ballot, he won in a landslide. You know,
07:41he won the first time in 2016. He won, you know, subsequently as well, when he was on the ballot.
07:48But his argument now is going to be, OK, now Republicans lost when I was not on the ballot.
07:53So these Republicans did not embrace me enough. They didn't help me enough. So I think that would
07:58be his message now. And I think that it would kind of, you know, that's his, which I'm hearing
08:03see now, he's not giving up. He's not throwing the towel. He's going to say, OK, they should have,
08:08they should have embraced me more. I should have been on the ballot. If I was on the ballot,
08:11then I would have won. That's his message right now. So I think, you know, that while it may be
08:15some difficult for him, I wouldn't count him out. I think he's definitely still going to be
08:19undeterred. And I'm seeing and hearing a lot of this now. He's going to be very,
08:24you know, more up to the fight more than ever.
08:28You know, there's one aspect, which is that for the last many years, every midterm has been against
08:32the incumbent. So in that sense, it's not really a surprise, Michael. But on the other hand,
08:37there's also the big flips. You know, the states that have been traditionally red for decades
08:41turning blue. How do you explain that? Yeah, I mean, well, first, as you said,
08:46these things are, this is not, you know, typical groundbreaking news. You know, you know,
08:51President Bush had a rough midterm for the Republicans in 2006. President Obama had two
08:57rough midterms, 2010 and 2014. And I mean, and look at the voters, you know, sometimes voters
09:02change their minds on the whim. You know, they did Obama in the landslide in 2008. Then they
09:07completely rejected him for the midterms of 2010, elect Republicans in a landslide, and then
09:11completely flipped it around and brought him back in the White House in 2012. Then changed their
09:15mind again and put Republicans back in 2014 in a landslide. Then Trump won two years later. So
09:20it's, the voters go back and forth and back and forth all the time. You know, I think we're always
09:24like, you know, sometimes the base is not getting as energized when they win and they have
09:30everything. They're like, okay, we can sit this out now. And they're just like, it's more
09:33motivated. So it's that, that's, that's too unknown. I wouldn't be surprised if in two
09:37years, you know, Republicans have to have a big comeback or maybe four years of a big
09:41comeback. You never know. Um, yeah, there was definitely some, there's some big historic
09:45wins for the Democrats and everything. And, um, and so I compare it similar to, you know,
09:51in 2010 when the Republicans flipped the Massachusetts race or the Illinois race, you know, historic
09:56Democrat strongholds flipped the Republican during the Obama years. And I think this is a
10:00similar thing. Now we're seeing, I think that's something to be said. I think it also is something
10:05to be said too, that there was a lot of, um, you know, there were the Republicans were maybe
10:09caught sleeping in a few races too. You know, they may, they may have should be, you know,
10:13taken into account that they took a few races for granted. Maybe they put a lot of focus into
10:16Texas and Ohio and Alaska, but maybe they didn't look into South Carolina and Mississippi as much
10:22as they should have. So it's an awakening moment for Republicans now to realize they should
10:27definitely pick their targets more. All right, uh, Michael, thank you for your time. Thank
10:32you for joining us here. Appreciate it, uh, here on India today. Let's move on and give you a sense
10:38of what really the implications are for Donald Trump as a result of this U.S. midterm election
10:43result. Well, it weakens Trump's political authority, uh, and the fact that with no control
10:49of the House of Representatives or Senate, he will have to bring the Democrats on board also
10:53with decisions that he takes. They could derail, Democrats could derail and curtail
10:58Trump's tariff plan. India included will be affected by that. Democrats, of course,
11:04are not like Trump. They don't believe that his tariff game plan is working. And so they're going
11:09to curtail his plan of imposing more and more tariff as he has. Congressional scrutiny on Iran war
11:16to mount. Look, let's be very clear that Trump is still the executive, still calls the shots,
11:20but there will be scrutiny questions, more criticism, more answers to give on the part
11:25of Donald Trump on the wall. Democrats may move to impeach Trump again. Now that they have the
11:31numbers, they'll do it. It will be symbolic, but still important messaging. Trump cabinet members
11:37will be subpoenaed as well. Again, something that you will see as more messaging optics, but important
11:43ones that pretty much decide how American politics falls out in the next few months. Let's in fact,
11:50give you a sense to some of the reactions that have come. And these are the winning faces,
11:53the ones who've pulled off big, big upsets in states across America.
11:59We just took back Texas.
12:05We, we just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.
12:16We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love.
12:29And we just sent a message to every billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor,
12:39every corrupt defender of this broken political system. In this state, in this country, power
12:48belongs to the people.
12:50J.D.
12:54Habibi.
12:58There is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in
13:05in January.
13:10Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate.
13:17And we have five words for the American people, relief is on the way.
13:25We understand that this election, a dramatic change election, means that the American people
13:31are crying out for transformational change.
13:34We hear you, we see you, we feel you, and House Democrats are committed to making life better
13:43for you.
13:44I still believe in the promise of South Carolina and the greatness of America.
13:49Tonight was not the result any of us wanted in this room or around the country, but we
13:56cannot exit the fight.
13:57This is a tough cycle and all of us need to be involved as we chart a path forward.
14:05We knew that the chaos and corruption in Washington were hurting our people.
14:10Today, you said, this has to stop.
14:18And as your new United States Senator, I am ready to take that message to Washington and
14:32work to do something about it.
14:37All right, yeah.
14:39It would have been easier for us to just complain and watch from the sidelines to shake our heads
14:46and turn away.
14:47It would have been easier, but it wouldn't have been right.
14:53Several surprising states, several big slips that nobody really saw coming.
14:58How has Donald Trump chosen to react to this midterm result?
15:02Well, for starters, he put out that post with a cap with just one word, veto.
15:08Beyond that also said that if I were on the ballot, this wouldn't be the result.
15:12Here's a detailed report on how the US president has reacted to this blue tsunami in America.
15:24America has spoken loudly.
15:31A historic rebuke for President Donald Trump, a landslide for the Democrats.
15:40Two years ago, voters powered Trump to the political comeback of the century.
15:45On November 3rd, they rejected him comprehensively.
15:52Voters have ousted Republicans in contests up and down the ballot.
15:57And Democrats have taken control of both houses of Congress.
16:02We understand that this election, a dramatic change election, means that the American people
16:09are crying out for transformational change.
16:12We hear you.
16:13We see you.
16:15We feel you.
16:16And House Democrats are committed to making life better for you.
16:23In the houses of representatives, they have won back power with what could be their largest majority
16:29in nearly two decades.
16:32Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate.
16:40And we have five words for the American people.
16:44Relief is on the way.
16:47In the Senate, they flipped seven seats, including Texas and even South Carolina, long considered
16:54Republican strongholds.
16:57In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption
17:09and incompetence of the failed lame duck president, Donald J. Trump.
17:16Then came one of the most shocking results of the night.
17:20Trump-alive Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio governor's race to Amy Acton.
17:28A tough and challenging night for Republicans across the country, and it is a tough night
17:33for us here in Ohio.
17:36It was a tough race.
17:38It was bitter at times in both directions.
17:42I would be incomplete if I didn't tell you that I had some serious concerns about the future
17:50direction of our country.
17:52Democrats could not help but rejoice at their political comeback.
17:59J.D., Habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated
18:13to swear me in in January.
18:18Trump appeared to acknowledge the coming power shift in Washington.
18:22He told the New York Times that he's willing to accept those results and was prepared to
18:27work with Democrats.
18:29But the road ahead looks rough.
18:33A political showdown and extended gridlock is likely in Washington.
18:40And an embattled Trump weakened at home may grow even more adventures abroad with the resumption
18:47of the Iran war on the cards.
18:51With Rohit Sharma, Bureau Report, India Today.
18:57It's a kind of mixed messaging there from Donald Trump, where on one hand, he says that, look,
19:02this wouldn't have been the result if I was involved.
19:04And the other, he says, yes, we're willing to accept this result and work with the Democrats.
19:08Let me bring in Gaurav Sawant on this broadcast, who's been tracking the results from early
19:12this morning as they trickled in from the projections to now the result, saying very clearly, Gaurav,
19:19that America currently, at least, is bleeding blue.
19:22What do you think is the biggest reason behind this kind of a mandate from America?
19:27Prices.
19:28Rising fuel prices.
19:30And because of those rising diesel prices, everything, prices of everything shot up.
19:35And the common man in America was feeling the pinch.
19:38And President Trump appeared so far detached from the pain of the common person on ground,
19:44he was more busy talking about his ballroom.
19:48So there was this rich corporate America and the common man of America.
19:52And the divide was too wide to bridge.
19:55The prices, then the war in Iran, hugely unpopular, again, a cause for massive prices.
20:02And look at the ground reality.
20:04You know, when you were talking about this blunami, that blue tsunami that swept across
20:09ruby red states, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Maine, Kansas, Iowa.
20:16I mean, these are states that just turned blue.
20:19Even the Democrats didn't expect such a tsunami in their favor.
20:24They knew they were doing much better.
20:26They campaigned very hard.
20:28They found the pulse of the people.
20:30You know, the kind of activities of ICE in sending people out, dividing the country.
20:35America has risen against it.
20:37Gaurav, I think one of the questions that will be asked now is what is the geopolitical
20:42impact here, particularly on the war?
20:45Look, Trump is still the executive.
20:46Nothing changes on that front.
20:48But with the Democrats controlling the House, controlling the Senate, will we see a change
20:53in the strategy on war?
20:55So, this war is hugely unpopular.
20:58President Trump can either double down, go in for a short, sharp strike, as he has indicated
21:03he may, whether he's using this as pressure tactics, getting Iran to come and negotiate.
21:10Look, America was hoping for a regime change in Iran.
21:14There seems to have been a regime change of sorts in the United States of America, and
21:18President Trump won't be very happy about this.
21:21But you're absolutely right.
21:22He controls the foreign policy.
21:24He has all the power, except, of course, if he wants to wage a longer war, he needs money.
21:29And for money, he'll have to go to the Congress.
21:31And it's unlikely that, you know, they will support him on an unnecessary war, on an unjust
21:37war.
21:38Because that main question on the 28th of February, why did you bomb Iran, when Iran
21:43was willing to sign the dotted line virtually everywhere, is a question that will once again
21:48be asked of President Donald Trump right now.
21:50So, will he double down and go in for a short, sharp strike?
21:53There are some, you know, fear mongers in the United States who say that he may go in for
21:58a tactical nuclear strike.
22:00Now, God forbid, it appears very unlikely that he should do something like that.
22:04But it remains to be seen whether he's in a position to get Iran to the talks table,
22:11negotiate an honourable exit.
22:13If not, then we may see a short, sharp war in West Asia.
22:18I'm sure Trump recognises, Gaurav, that this is a mandate against his decision for war.
22:23That will play out.
22:24And the point that you made about funds, in which case then it's not going to be easy
22:27for him to move this war any forward or get more aggressive.
22:31He cannot afford to get more aggressive.
22:33You're absolutely right.
22:35It's very, very unpopular in the United States of America because they're asking,
22:39why are we fighting this war?
22:41It's not our war.
22:42Point one.
22:43Point two.
22:44Iran was willing to talk to the United States.
22:48The Democrats are doubling down that they had managed to get Iran to the talks table,
22:53sign the dotted line, agree on the nuke aspect.
22:57They only had to take it forward.
22:59They had to negotiate better.
23:01Donald Trump actually used a sledgehammer and that appears to have boomerang on him.
23:06Election results do indicate that.
23:09But, you know, President Trump has been rather unpredictable.
23:13Look at the India policy.
23:15Now, America and India had a very warm relationship for over 25 years post the 1999 Kargil war.
23:23You know, we've reported the next step in strategic partnership after the post-Pokaran sanctions.
23:29And then the relationship was on an uphill trajectory until Donald Trump in his second tenure,
23:34you know, seems to have been like a bull in a China shop on a very important strategic partnership.
23:41Can it still be revived?
23:42Yes, it can.
23:43But the trust factor has certainly taken a big hit.
23:47You know, you make that mention of the India-America story also, Gaurav.
23:51There's an interesting story also in the way Indian-Americans have performed in this particular midterm.
23:57They were representatives from the Indian-American community for both Democrats and Republicans.
24:02And it's a very different story of how they've performed.
24:05So let's focus on that for a moment.
24:07We're calling it the revenge of Indian-Americans.
24:11There are several of them who've done exceedingly well.
24:14We put all those names on your screens there.
24:15You have Pia Dandia.
24:17Everyone's, of course, been talking about her whole story.
24:20As a Democrat, she's won Florida's 22nd district.
24:22That means she's the first Indian-American elected to Florida's House delegation, which is huge.
24:30Pia Dandia is now a woman everyone's watching out for.
24:33So Haas Subramaniam is someone you've heard of before because he's been re-elected now as a Democrat from Virginia's
24:3810th district.
24:40Then you have Aruna Miller.
24:41Again, a known face.
24:43She's been re-elected as Maryland's left-in-to-governor.
24:46Again, a Democrat, clearly blue.
24:49Pramila Jayapal, Democrat, has retained Washington's 7th district.
24:53Not really surprising.
24:54Washington, a blue state.
24:55That's why 87% of the votes there are going for Pramila Jayapal.
24:59Roh Khanna, very vocal, speaks about Indian-American rights, speaks about Hindu rights in America.
25:04As a Democrat has been re-elected from California's 17th district.
25:08Ami Beira.
25:09In California's 3rd district, is leading with 60%.
25:13We're expecting that that will essentially solidify into a win.
25:17And then you have Amisha, another Democrat.
25:20Arizona's 1st district with 55% of the votes so far.
25:25That number also expected to go up.
25:27Contrast that with the Indian-American face for the Republicans.
25:30I'm referring to Vivek Ramaswamy, who lost.
25:33Listen in to what Vivek Ramaswamy said.
25:36Handpicked by Trump and yet lost.
25:39Tough and challenging night for Republicans across the country, and it is a tough night
25:44for us here in Ohio.
25:47It was a tough race.
25:49It was bitter at times in both directions.
25:53I would be incomplete if I didn't tell you that I have some serious concerns about the future
26:01direction of our country.
26:04There's no avoiding that.
26:07But I do believe that there have been many ups and downs in our country's history, but
26:12we have, in the end, still found our way upward.
26:15And I have confidence that sometimes these things happen for a reason.
26:22Okay, so you heard there from Vivek Ramaswamy.
26:25But Gaurav, what do you make of the manner in which Indian-Americans have voted, the manner
26:31in which they've been represented?
26:32You know, it's interesting that Indian-Americans have actually had a big say in this election
26:36because most campaign managers are also from this community.
26:40So, you know, in a way, they've gone back to the roots.
26:43That's a very interesting line that you had, revenge of the Indian-Americans.
26:47The manner in which, look, they've contributed immensely to the America story, to the U.S.
26:53story.
26:54Very positive, highly educated.
26:57They follow the law of the land.
26:59They contribute positively to every society.
27:01But the manner in which they were ill-treated, the rise in hate crimes against Hindus, in
27:08particular Indian-Americans in general, this has been rather unfortunate in the United States
27:13of America.
27:14And President Trump's team did precious little to arrest it.
27:18They may have made some of the right noises, but clearly they didn't.
27:22Now, for Indian-Americans who moved from Democrats to Republicans, it was a trust that was betrayed
27:27and they came back to the Democrats.
27:29And this is where, you know, all those issues, whether it's with Indian-Americans, with jobs,
27:34with H-1B visas, with education, there was so much uncertainty under the Trump administration
27:40that they thought at least there's far more predictability with the Democrats.
27:45Whether that predictability remains, we will have to wait and watch.
27:49But it's not just Indian-Americans, but it's the expat community from across the world
27:54who seem to have gravitated more towards the Democrats.
27:58Do you think that this will trigger a rethink of sorts by Team Trump?
28:02Well, one would sincerely hope so, that better sense would prevail, because this is a relationship
28:07that India and America have both invested in very deeply over the past, you know, 25,
28:1326 years.
28:14And President Trump, you know, with a sledgehammer blow, with his tariffs, the imposition of the
28:2025 percent tariffs of India, completely uncalled for, then putting punitive tariffs on India
28:25for buying Russian oil, when India was doing it to stabilize global economy, you know, that
28:30was completely uncalled for.
28:31The kind of remarks, uncalled for remarks on Pakistan, his support for Pakistan at a time
28:37with, you know, Pakistan is a state sponsor of terror, responsible for deaths of American
28:41citizens.
28:42And yet, President Trump in his second tenure was so different from Trump in his first tenure.
28:46Was it because of family interests and business interests, which the Democrats now say they
28:51will investigate?
28:52So it remains to be seen whether, you know, the administration would be, would try and bring
28:57the relationship back on an even keel.
29:00But India, you know, some would say, yes, we are keen on a deal with America because it's
29:04in India's interest.
29:05However, India would rather not have a deal than have a bad deal.
29:09You know, on the issue of how he's handled India, tariffs and so many other aspects, he's
29:15been rather aggressive in the last two years.
29:17With this result, there is a possibility that he'll kind of soften down now on some of those
29:22issues because it's not just now the Republicans taking all the calls.
29:26The Democrats have a big, big say.
29:28Thanks very much, Gaurav, for joining us on this broadcast with your perspective, your
29:32analysis of this midterm result.
29:35Now, Gaurav has broken it down for you on how those laws can actually haunt Donald Trump.
29:40One of the issues is also that there could be an investigation against him.
29:43There have been endless controversies that Donald Trump finds himself mired in.
29:47One of those is Epstein and the fact that there's still a big tranche of unreleased files.
29:53The ties that he had with Epstein, some of those pictures that went viral, all of his comments,
29:59there could be an investigation into it.
30:01Losing control of the House and representatives, losing control of the Senate means that they
30:05will take that step forward of an investigation, of announcing a formal investigation against him.
30:10On foreign deals, on crypto ventures, here's where the spotlight will be on Pakistan and
30:15why Trump is so invested in Pakistan, helping them out constantly, because there have been
30:20some reports that suggested that, look, there are foreign deals and crypto ventures.
30:24It has him very, very keen on Pakistan growing.
30:28Immigration operations, deportations, the manner in which ICE has been acting, some of the steps
30:33they've taken, deemed illegal.
30:36So far, there was no check whatsoever.
30:38Now, with the Democrats seizing the House and the Senate, there is that check and balance
30:43in place.
30:44The deaths during ICE enforcement raids.
30:47So many questions that came to the fore with these stories, with these videos.
30:52And yet, Donald Trump somehow remained immune to answering any of these questions.
30:56That will change now.
30:57The Democrats will put up pointed questions to Trump on it.
31:01One of the big talking points will be on the Iran war, the consequences of this mid-term
31:06election result on the war and how Trump goes about it.
31:10First of all, there will be questions that he will be made to answer on why he took the
31:14decision to strike Iran in the manner that he did.
31:17Was it at Israel's beck and call that America acted?
31:21Those will be tough questions that he will have to answer.
31:24He didn't have to so far.
31:25The constitutional violations that he's been accused of constantly by Democrats, they'll
31:31now raise this in the Senate and in the House as well.
31:35Construction costs, funding approvals, these will come up.
31:39There have been questions of breach of power as president as well.
31:43Weaponization of federal agencies, you've seen it here in India, it's a talking point
31:48in America as well.
31:50Intel army officials, their dismissal, considered not to be loyal to Trump, booted out.
31:55And this is something Democrats have raised previously.
31:58Tariffs, foreign policies.
32:00Trump may be the executive, he can take those calls.
32:02But on issues like tariffs, congressional support is crucial.
32:07That support is not going to be easy anymore for Donald Trump.
32:13Okay, joining me now here to decode further the U.S. midterm election result is Geeta Mohan.
32:19Geeta, to you, what are the three big takeaways of this result?
32:24One is that the American voters have voted against Donald Trump.
32:32It is not a positive for Democrats.
32:34They've only voted the Democrats because of the Tina factor.
32:38There is no other alternative.
32:40It's a negative vote for the Republican Party, specifically a mandate and a referendum on Donald Trump.
32:47Secondly, while he thought that his policy decisions and he wanted to make it look like the decisions would help
32:55his country,
32:56economy is the other big thing.
32:58And everything else is interconnected, whether it's him going to war, whether it is the tariff,
33:03tough tariff policies, which have led to huge trade wars between the United States of America and various other countries,
33:12including India, the economy has taken a huge hit because of that.
33:18And that certainly is, in fact, if you ask me, that's the primary factor.
33:22But the biggest takeaway is the referendum on Trump.
33:25Secondly, it has happened because of the economy.
33:27Thirdly, all the decisions and the policy decisions where it has impacted communities,
33:36where anti-India, anti-Hispanic voices were allowed, hate speeches were allowed.
33:44In fact, the administration also indulged in hate speeches.
33:48That is the third factor.
33:50For the Indian Americans there, H-1B immigration policies, again, a very important factor.
33:57And most importantly, the Indian American vote bank over there are rather disappointed with the kind of policies that Trump
34:05focused on
34:07and is the reason why even those who shifted from Democratic to Republican have now voted Democrats yet again.
34:15So a wake-up call to the administration in how they want to see diversity in America
34:20and that America is certainly not homogenous and they should be celebrating diversity rather than making it a reason for
34:29their failure.
34:30You know, can I just focus on the point that you made about rising costs?
34:34One of the issues, Geeta, that we saw in this election is also the inequality, really,
34:39and the fact that you have these big businesses, billionaires, backed by Trump.
34:43Elon Musk being one of them.
34:44I mean, you know, he's put out a series of very interesting reactions right now,
34:48saying that maybe now I should look at putting up data centers in space.
34:52How is it that none of those narratives that usually work for Republicans, for Trump,
34:57of data centers, of immigration, what you refer to as a lot of hate speeches,
35:03none of that actually worked in a Texas, in a Kansas, a Georgia, or any of those states?
35:08It's a fantastic question because, yes, Texas is the talking point over here.
35:14A state that has flipped after, what, 38 years, if I'm not wrong,
35:18clearly shows that his MAGA vote bank is upset.
35:23Why are they upset?
35:24They're not upset just about the economy, which, of course, they're upset about.
35:27They're upset about the gasoline prices, so on and so forth.
35:30But they're upset about going to war, which Trump had promised he's never going to take his country to war.
35:36And he did not keep that promise.
35:39Having said that, coming back to Texas, coming back to the hate voices, Elon Musk's tweet,
35:44it's quite clear.
35:46Trump's, Texas' campaign was all focused on one thing, that Texas is not for sale.
35:53Elon Musk's jive that now I'm going to find my data centers in Mars is exactly to do with that.
36:00The corporate disparity that you're talking about is,
36:03A clear example of that is what happened in Texas today, where his own vote bank,
36:10his own base voters have completely rejected the corporatization of an entire state.
36:17And Elon Musk's jive, two of them, one, on going to Mars, which has to do with the data center.
36:22Secondly, on interference, where he's being jivey about the fact that whether he supported the Republicans
36:28or the Democrats, he's had problems on both sides, and he's supported both sides on many counts.
36:34So significant over there to see Texas as an example here.
36:37But let me just play devil's advocate here, Geeta.
36:40You're seeing these big flips, sure.
36:42You know, states that for decades have been red are now bleeding blue, if I may.
36:47Does this mean that, you know, for the Republicans, it's a massive setback,
36:52that these states have changed forever, winds of change have swept through them?
36:54Or is this just messaging to Donald Trump?
36:58Absolute messaging to Donald Trump.
37:00He might say that I was not on the ballot.
37:02He was on the ballot very clearly during his campaign trails,
37:06where he said, you would be voting for me and not just the candidates.
37:11Absolutely.
37:12So this is a mandate on what Trump did and what Trump didn't do.
37:17What was the second part of your question?
37:18So I was wondering whether this is essentially changing of traditional strongholds,
37:22or is this just a one-time change that we're seeing in these states?
37:27I would say it's a one-time.
37:28Do not expect the same wave during the presidential election.
37:32Every midterm in the history of U.S. midterms,
37:37there have been only two or three instances, right,
37:40where an incumbent has held seats in the House.
37:44They've normally lost.
37:45So this is, again, to do with that.
37:48But remember, the last time it happened was 9-11.
37:51And during 9-11, George Bush held the House.
37:55Here, he's not being able to hold the House,
37:57despite the fact that the country is at war,
37:59is because he took the country to war.
38:019-11 happened to them.
38:04So, yes, you're seeing a lot of flips,
38:06but don't expect it to go all blue during the presidential race.
38:10That is going to be a different one.
38:12There are going to be fresh faces on both ends.
38:14The Democrats and the Republicans will have their primaries,
38:17and they're going to push up two new candidates.
38:19There's one thing for sure, that with these numbers,
38:22there's going to be no change in constitution.
38:23So there's no third term for a president
38:25in the United States of America.
38:27Okay, maybe, maybe we'll see some restraint now
38:30from Donald Trump on several issues.
38:33But that's still a maybe,
38:34because you can never really see with Trump.
38:36Thanks very much, Keita, for joining us
38:38with your perspective on this U.S. midterm result.
38:41Very interesting days coming up
38:43with this kind of a result from America.
38:49Well, Iran is hailing the verdict that's coming from Americans,
38:54saying that clearly Americans don't agree
38:56with Donald Trump's decision of going to war with Iran.
39:00But what is the implication of this verdict on the Iran war?
39:04What's going to be the global impact?
39:06Keita Mohan breaks it down for you.
39:10U.S. President Donald Trump wanted a Congress
39:13that would back him,
39:15a Republican majority that would let him call the shots,
39:18and a world that would simply fall in line.
39:21Well, America has just spoiled that party.
39:23Democrats have flipped both the House and the Senate.
39:27And this is not just bad news for Trump.
39:29It could change the calculations in Tehran,
39:31Kiev, Moscow, Beijing, and right across West Asia.
39:36Because when Washington sneezes,
39:38the world's conflict zones catch a fever.
39:41Trump may still occupy the White House,
39:44but he lost the Congress that helped him govern.
39:47And when a president loses control of the legislature,
39:50the question is simple.
39:51How much longer can he fight wars,
39:53fund wars, and threaten new ones
39:56without paying a political price?
39:58So let's start with the biggest question.
40:01Does this mean America will finally change course on its wars?
40:05Not quite.
40:06And before anyone in Tehran or Kiev starts celebrating,
40:10there is a catch.
40:12The American president has considerable powers
40:14over diplomacy and military action.
40:16But Congress controls legislation and government spending.
40:21It can investigate the administration,
40:23question officials, scrutinize military decisions,
40:26and challenge the money that keeps these operations alive.
40:30In other words,
40:31Trump still has the keys to the White House,
40:33but Democrats now have a much bigger say
40:36over who pays the bills.
40:38And that is where things get interesting.
40:41First, Iran.
40:42Remember, Trump and Israel launched the war against Iran
40:46on the 28th of February of 2026
40:49without consulting the Congress.
40:52Democrats opposed the conflict.
40:53They even joined some Republicans to pass a resolution
40:57calling for an end to hostilities.
40:59The administration ignored it.
41:02But now Democrats control both chambers.
41:04They have a much bigger platform to challenge the war.
41:07They can hold hearings,
41:09investigate the decision behind the conflict,
41:11and most importantly, push to restrict funding.
41:16Can they stop the war?
41:18No.
41:19Trump retains wartime powers.
41:21However, Democrats can hinder escalation.
41:24The Iran war brought high fuel prices,
41:27economic strain,
41:28and eight months of conflict,
41:30raising the domestic political cost
41:32for every decision on Iran.
41:35Historically, presidents who face opposition at home
41:37have sometimes turned their attention to foreign policy.
41:41And Trump has already shown a taste
41:43for military adventurism in West Asia.
41:45A Congress that challenges his war decisions
41:48could make him more cautious,
41:50or it could push him towards
41:51a more confrontational approach abroad.
41:54Neither possibility is particularly comforting.
41:57The Democrats can scrutinize his decisions,
42:00but they cannot guarantee
42:01that he will abandon his military ambitions.
42:04Now let's move to Ukraine.
42:06For Kiev, this election could offer little hope.
42:10Under Joe Biden,
42:11America was one of Ukraine's biggest supporters
42:13alongside Europe.
42:15It provided financial assistance,
42:17military expertise, and weapons.
42:18Then Trump returned,
42:21reduced financial and military aid,
42:23suspended sanctions against Russia,
42:25and made little secret
42:26of his warmer relationship with Vladimir Putin
42:29compared with Vladimir Zelensky.
42:32Remember that frosty White House encounter in 2025?
42:36Well, Democrats have not forgotten it either.
42:38With control of Congress,
42:40they can push legislation to increase military
42:43and financial assistance to Ukraine.
42:45They can also challenge Trump's approach towards Moscow,
42:48but there is a catch.
42:49Trump can veto legislation,
42:52and Democrats would need a two-thirds majority
42:54in both chambers to override him.
42:58That means some Republicans would have to join them.
43:02So Ukraine could get more attention
43:04and a stronger voice in Washington,
43:06but a sudden return to unlimited American support
43:09is not guaranteed.
43:11And what about Russia?
43:12Moscow has every reason to watch
43:14this congressional shift carefully.
43:17Trump's approach towards Putin
43:18could face greater scrutiny,
43:20especially if Democrats investigate
43:22the administration's decisions
43:23on sanctions and military assistance.
43:26Any attempt by Trump to strike deals with Russia
43:30could also face political resistance.
43:32But let's be clear,
43:34Democrats cannot dictate every diplomatic move
43:36the president makes.
43:37They can make those moves politically expensive
43:40and force the administration to explain itself.
43:43For Putin, that means Trump's room for maneuver
43:46may shrink even if the White House's Russia policy
43:49does not immediately change.
43:51In West Asia,
43:53the Iran war has driven up energy costs,
43:56giving Democrats grounds to challenge further spending.
43:58Meanwhile, following Trump's shutdown of U.S. aid,
44:02Democrats can force hearings
44:04to scrutinize foreign aid cuts,
44:06making international assistance
44:08a key political battleground.
44:10This shift impacts international partners.
44:14Europe and NATO will see increased scrutiny
44:16over Ukraine support and burden sharing,
44:19while China monitors Washington's strategic balance.
44:23For India,
44:24prolonged conflict and high energy prices
44:26pose economic risks,
44:28while tariffs and congressional scrutiny
44:30over regional business deals
44:32remain key concerns.
44:34And India?
44:35Well, New Delhi will have plenty of reasons
44:37to watch this Washington power struggle
44:39very, very closely.
44:41A democratic-controlled Congress
44:43could mean tougher scrutiny of India
44:45on religious freedom,
44:47minority rights,
44:48voter registration,
44:49and the treatment of protests.
44:51Trade is another big question.
44:54Trump's tariff-heavy approach
44:55which has already disrupted global economic predictability,
44:58and India's trade negotiations with Washington
45:01could look very different
45:02now that the president has lost political ground.
45:05Then there's Russian oil,
45:07defense cooperation,
45:08and the future of the H-1B visa
45:10and student visa restrictions.
45:12Democrats could also investigate business
45:15and critical minerals deals
45:16involving Trump's family,
45:18friends,
45:19and political allies,
45:20potentially bringing Indian businesses
45:22that dealt with them under scrutiny.
45:25So will India suddenly see a reset
45:27in ties with Washington, D.C.?
45:29Unlikely.
45:30Trump still controls the White House
45:32and much of the foreign policy agenda.
45:34But New Delhi will now have
45:36another powerful center of influence
45:37to deal with.
45:38A Congress that may not always see eye-to-eye
45:41with the president.
45:43So what does all this mean?
45:44Has Trump lost the power to wage wars?
45:47No.
45:48Has America suddenly changed its foreign policy?
45:51Absolutely not.
45:52But has the political cost of Trump's decisions gone up?
45:55Without a doubt.
45:57Democrats now have the power to investigate,
46:00question, challenge, spending,
46:02and make the administration defend its choices.
46:05And for countries caught in America's wars,
46:08that could make a difference.
46:09Trump still has the presidency,
46:11but he no longer has a Congress
46:13willing to hand him a blank check.
46:15And for a president who likes to call all the shots,
46:18that may be the biggest battlefield of all.
46:23Well, social media always has a thing or two
46:25to say about Trump.
46:27And with the U.S. midterm results
46:29and the loss for Donald Trump,
46:31well, there were a whole lot of memes
46:33that came in.
46:34From Iran reacting with AI memes of Donald Trump
46:38to regime change jokes,
46:41we're leaving you with this report
46:42on all the now viral content on social media
46:45on the U.S. midterm results.
46:47On a lighter note, here's that report.
46:55The blue wave has swept across Texas
46:58and MAGA Republicans are clearly not having the best day.
47:03Netizens, meanwhile, are having a field day.
47:07Some are taking a dig at Trump's endless battles
47:10with Democrats,
47:11suggesting the election results have left him seeing red.
47:18Others are bringing Iran and Ukraine into the meme war.
47:23Some users are even suggesting
47:25that Iran must be watching Trump's electoral setback
47:29with popcorn in hand.
47:32But the meme stealing the show?
47:34Trump's bodyguards carrying him away
47:36and dumping him into a trash bin.
47:39From political punches to outright trolling,
47:43the internet has declared open season on Trump memes.
47:46And this time, MAGA is not laughing.
47:50Bureau Report, India Today.