US midterms: 'Donald Trump's wings have been more than clipped'

Democrats secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Tuesday midterm elections. France 24 reports that this outcome represents a personal humiliation for President Donald Trump, leaving the 80-year-old president as a lame duck for the final two years of his term. Haaretz notes that the sweeping victory will result in Middle East leaders having to deal with two Washingtons.

Following the election, Trump addressed the ongoing eight-month-old war against Iran, which Fast Company reports contributed to the Republican midterm losses due to voter dissatisfaction. While Trump agreed with Vice President JD Vance that the war has been a catastrophe for Republicans because it drove up gasoline prices, he stated that he would launch the conflict again if given the choice.

The conflict involving strikes and counterstrikes has resulted in tens of billions of dollars in regional damage and has led to rising costs across nearly every sector and elevated gas prices globally. Fast Company indicates that Trump has previously threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran if Tehran does not reach a settlement on his terms once the elections concluded.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Haaretz, Fast Company — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.