Why Moscow shouldn’t fear a Democratic victory in the US midterms

US midterms could complicate ties with Russia. Moscow should judge any Ukraine deal by its merits, not Washington’s political calendar When Donald Trump returned triumphantly to the White House in January 2025, his supporters believed they could finally finish what he started during his first term and reverse the Democrats’ social engineering agenda, commonly known as ‘wokeism’, curb illegal immigration, accelerate technological development, and above all, ‘make America great again’. Trump moved quickly on the first two priorities, as he revoked 78 of Joe Biden’s executive orders, tightened border controls and gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) greater resources and powers to conduct raids in sanctuary cities, where the local authorities limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

But Trump’s determination to achieve everything at once, from restructuring the federal government and securing favorable trade deals to pursuing ambitions involving Greenland and Venezuela, has kept American politics in a state of turmoil, while his confrontational approach has also unsettled allies and opponents abroad. The decision to launch joint military operations with Israel against Iran has proven particularly divisive as it fractured Trump’s conservative coalition, with some supporters accusing him of betraying his promise to end America’s ‘endless wars’, while others fear the political consequences for Republicans in the approaching midterm elections. The Iran war has also hurt American consumers. Over the past year, gasoline prices have risen by 38% and diesel by 71%, while food prices have increased by 2. 5%. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz isn’t solely responsible, but Democrats and sympathetic media outlets have made it central to their criticism,…