{
  "id": 18143818,
  "title": "Trump's midterm drubbing could give trade partners room to resist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/trumps-midterm-drubbing-could-give-trade-partners-room-to-resist-18143818",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-04T15:16:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf Times Business",
    "slug": "gulf-times-business",
    "url": "https://www.gulf-times.com/article/737502/business/trumps-midterm-drubbing-could-give-trade-partners-room-to-resist"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The defeat of Donald Trump's Republican Party in the US midterm elections could offer some trade partners an opportunity to push back against his aggressive policies, although they may need to proceed cautiously to avoid provoking him in his final two years in office. Democrats gained control of both the Senate and House, as voters expressed strong disapproval of Trump's policies, including his tariffs and the ongoing Iran war. This could potentially give China an advantage in ongoing negotiations, put pressure on allies in Asia to slow down investments, and provide Europe with more certainty regarding unresolved trade issues. However, some partners still face uncertainties, as Trump shows no signs of accepting the voters' verdict on his tariff policies, which have disrupted global trade.\n\nEuropean officials, such as Bernd Lange, chair of the trade committee in the European Parliament, warn that a weakened Trump could become even more aggressive and unpredictable. A lame duck Trump might quickly turn into an angry duck. Rajiv Bhatia, a former Indian diplomat and distinguished fellow at Gateway House think tank, suggests that a Democratic victory does not necessarily make Trump more accommodating towards any country. Some Asian allies, like Japan and South Korea, have made significant investments commitments to placate Trump, but they may now feel less pressure to fulfill these promises. The tariff issue remains unresolved, and if Japan's response is slow, calls for additional tariffs could resurface.\n\nIn Europe, transatlantic trade tensions have been somewhat eased by previous deals, but potential disputes could arise, such as retaliation against European countries imposing a digital services tax on US tech giants and a €3 billion loan to the European aircraft maker Airbus. For India, the midterm results provide an incentive to adopt a wait-and-see approach as India negotiates trade deals with the US. China, which has a trade truce with Trump set to expire in January, may seek to exploit Trump's weakened political position, but may also find it harder to win him over with Congress watching over his shoulder.",
  "summary": "The drubbing for Donald Trump's Republicans in US midterm elections could embolden some trade partners to push back against his combative policies, although they may need to tread lightly to avoi...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}