Expert shares worrying prediction on what could happen if Trump loses midterm elections
Political analysts are warning that Donald Trump could become more aggressive in the final stretch of his presidency if Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections on November 3.
Several analysts who spoke to the Independent say Trump has repeatedly shown he can get around checks and balances, and that even a brusing night at the ballot box might not be enough to reign him in.
Some believe it might even push him towards riskier moves.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump's one-time presidential rival, voiced that fear this week.
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"What I think people need to be prepared for is he becomes even more unhinged and sadly more dangerous, because as I have mentioned before there's a concept in behavioral psychology where people who are in what's called the domain of loss, they double down on risk," she said.
David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter and professor of journalism at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has known Trump for decades, was blunter.
"Donald is feral when cornered," he warned.
"Once Donald Trump loses control of either chamber of Congress, he will become very dangerous and is likely to do truly erratic and dangerous things," Said Johnston.
Whatever happens in the House and Senate, Johnston added, the president will keep broad power over the armed forces and the ability to issue executive orders, along with the motivation to target his enemies.
Despite his negative polling numbers, one area where Trump has been judged as being stronger than the Democrats is on immigration.
Dr. Georgios Samaras, a US politics specialist at King's College London, thinks it is a likely focus even if Democrats hold one or both chambers.
"It is plausible he will focus on immigration because ICE is in his control, and federal tools can be used and shaped according to his own needs," he said.
A new poll by Politico found Republicans trail Democrats by 24 points among Latinos in the midterms. Trump trailed Kamala by just three points with latinos in 2024.
Samaras also expects Democrats to push subpoenas and possible impeachments proceedings, which he believes could provoke retaliation.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we saw arrests," he said, suggesting targets could include politicians, activists, and people affiliated with the party.
Recent reports suggest a new US-Israeli assault on Iran is a matter of when, not if, with Trump hinting it could follow the midterms.
Johnston fears extreme force if Tehran does not capitulate, and Trump has suggested he could use the 10-tonne GBU-43 bunker buster dubbed the ‘Mother of All Bombs’.
The New York Times calculated that Trump ‘used the office of the presidency to make at least $1.4bn’ in the first year of his second term.
Trump did not comment on the article, but told the same newspaper he had “found out that nobody cared” about his deal-making. “I’m allowed to,” he said.
Analysts expect that pattern to accelerate before he leaves office. “I think he will try to take that to the maximum,” said Kaivan Shroff, a US political commentator.
UNILAD has approached the White House for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, Military, US News, Politics
Thomas Bamford