Trump's veto warning sets up confrontation with Democratic Congress

John Lyons's analysis follows Democratic victories across Republican-held states and points to gridlock for the remainder of Trump's term.

Channel: ABC News (Australia) ·

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Democrats sweep the US midterms, reshaping the balance of power | ABC NEWS

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0:37Kamin Gock reports Democratic victories across Republican-held states, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas.
1:16James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton in Texas despite heavy campaign spending backing the Republican.
2:08Gock highlights El-Sayed's Michigan win and voter concerns about inflation, petrol prices, tariffs and foreign policy.
3:22Trump downplays personal responsibility for the losses and signals that he will use presidential vetoes.
3:59Casey Briggs explains seven Democratic Senate flips and the party's strong House majority.
5:29John Lyons interprets the result as a rejection of Trump's agenda and anticipates congressional gridlock.

Donald Trump's response to losing Republican control of Congress includes a warning about the power he still holds: the presidential veto.

In Australia's Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report, Americas Editor John Lyons argues that the Democratic victories represent a historic rejection of Trump's agenda. His analysis turns from the election celebrations to the prospect of gridlock between a Republican White House and a Democratic Congress.

The report first follows North America correspondent Kamin Gock through the results from Dallas. He highlights Democratic successes in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Kansas, including James Talarico's defeat of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate contest despite heavy campaign spending backing the Republican.

"Tonight we defeated Goliath," Talarico tells supporters. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff strikes a more workmanlike note: "Tonight we celebrate this victory, and tomorrow we get back to work." Gock also features Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate victory and identifies inflation, petrol prices, tariffs and foreign policy as central voter concerns.

Trump distances himself from the outcome in a phone interview: "You know, I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot." Asked about accepting the results, he says he will, then invokes his veto power. A social media image of a red cap embroidered with "VETO" reinforces the message.

Back in the studio, elections analyst Casey Briggs explains that Democrats flipped seven Republican Senate seats and secured a strong House majority. Those gains give the opposition control of Congress, but not the presidency. Lyons's closing assessment is that Trump's remaining term will be defined by the friction between those two centres of power.