Trump's midterm indifference reveals his governance vision — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump's domestic legislative agenda has consisted of just two items: the "big beautiful bill" 2025 budget, which succeeded but is pushing America toward a debt crisis, and efforts to seize federal control of voting systems, which largely failed.
- The "big beautiful bill" appropriated funds that Trump has redirected without congressional permission, including large sums for ICE and for legacy projects in Washington, DC — a ballroom and reflecting pool drawn partly from the National Parks Service budget.
- Trump has governed mainly through executive orders while the Republican-majority Congress has been too "supine" to stand in his way in any serious fashion, with his most consistent focus being the accumulation and exercise of personal power rather than any ideological agenda.
- Trump has used his office to enrich his family, pursue enemies via DOJ indictments and FBI investigations, and exert foreign-policy muscle — extorting investments from allies, seeking regime change in Iran, kidnapping Venezuela's president, and killing alleged drug-traffickers in international waters.
- The Supreme Court's 2024 immunity ruling granted presidents broad protection from prosecution for official acts without defining any limits, meaning only a significant rebellion of Republicans — on the Nixon-in-1974 model — would create any real prospect of punishing Trump.
- A Democratic-controlled Congress would likely pursue investigations, pass laws targeting Trump's corruption, and impeach him for a third time — but Trump can veto legislation, brazen out investigations, and count on the two-thirds Senate threshold to avoid conviction.
Why it matters: If Democrats win the House and Senate on November 3, Trump retains veto power and likely faces impeachment for a third time, but a Democratic Congress retains budgetary authority to block administration actions — especially in defense — though leaders must calibrate carefully to avoid alienating voters ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
Ask SkimNews
