US midterms | Democrats take control of Congress: Trump faces legislative roadblocks and investigations in final two years of his term

US President Donald Trump faces a major political challenge in the final two years of his presidency after Democrats are set to take control of both chambers of Congress giving the opposition party greater power to scrutinise his administration investigate its actions and influence the legislative agenda in WashingtonThe shift in congressional control could significantly complicate Trumps efforts to push through his policy prioritiesWith Democrats holding majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate the President will have to contend with an opposition that can exercise greater oversight over his administration and challenge his legislative proposalsA Democratic majority in the House could pave the way for extensive congressional scrutiny through committee investigations hearings and subpoenas targeting the administration Democrats would also gain control of key committees allowing them to determine which issues receive congressional attention and what aspects of the administrations functioning are examinedThe Senate victory would give Democrats greater influence over legislative proceedings and presidential nominations potentially making it harder for Trump to secure approval for his choices and advance his prioritiesThe change does not take away the Presidents executive powers or his ability to veto legislation However it could create a difficult legislative environment with disagreements between the White House and Congress raising the possibility of prolonged political deadlockTrump signals willingness to work with DemocratsAcknowledging the Republican setback Trump has congratulated Democrats on their victories and said he is willing to work with the opposition while also making it clear that he could use his veto powers to block legislation news agency ANI reportedIn a phone interview with CBS News Trump said he looked forward to working with Democrats for the countrys benefitMy message is congratulations to the Democrats and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country he saidI know a lot of Democrats I have total veto power and Im sure well be able to work things out Trump addedHowever he warned that he could veto legislation if Democrats did not cooperate with himI think theyre gonna want to work with me he said Otherwise Id just veto everything and theyre not gonna want thatReacting to the results on Truth Social Trump posted an image of a red MAGA cap bearing the word VETO signalling his readiness to use presidential veto powers against legislation passed by the Democraticcontrolled CongressTrump blames absence from ballot for Republican lossesDespite the scale of the defeat Trump remained defiant about the Republican losses repeatedly arguing that the party would have performed better had he himself been on the ballotI feel that I wasnt on the ballot and there was nothing that could be done about that If I was we would have won he told CBS NewsThe President also suggested that some Republican candidates were unpopular with voters while others did not have his supportIn some cases they didnt like the candidates and in some cases those candidates were not my friend and the base knows that better than anybody And they stayed back he saidTrump maintained that he had made considerable efforts to help Republican candidates win despite the outcomeI tried to help people get elected and they were not elected they couldnt get elected he said adding that he had tried hard and left it on the fieldIn a separate interview with The New York Times Trump said he was prepared to accept the election results and cooperate with the oppositionI am absolutely willing to accept those resultsWell work with the Democrats and well you know look forward to working with them Well probably work something out he saidVoter concerns contribute to Democratic gainsThe Democratic gains have been particularly striking in traditionally Republican strongholds with the party making breakthroughs in Texas and South Carolina and securing a historic Senate victory in Kansas ending nearly a century of Republican dominance in the stateAccording to Fox News young people independents rural voters and Hispanic voters were among the key groups that shifted away from Republicans The network reported that dissatisfaction over the Iran war and tariffs contributed to changing voter preferencesCNN also reported that inflation Trumps tariff policies the Iran war concerns about the Presidents conduct and perceptions of personal enrichment were among the issues influencing votersTrump also addressed the ongoing Iran conflict during his conversation with CBS News asserting that the war would end on his termsThe Iran war would be over when I say its over basically Itll end when I say it ends he saidThe Democratic takeover of Congress therefore sets up a consequential final phase of Trumps presidency With greater oversight powers and influence over legislation Democrats will have more avenues to challenge the administration while Trump will have to navigate an increasingly hostile Congress to pursue his agendaWith ANI inputs