JAIPUR : The obituaries for Donald Trump’s presidency came early. His allies say they were premature.
Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterms. The “lame duck” label followed within hours. But supporters of the president argue that Capitol Hill is not where the world’s crises are settled. The commander in chief’s authority over the military, diplomacy and sanctions survives any election, and no result in Ohio or Arizona changes who sits in the Oval Office.
The first test of the “fractured party” narrative came fast. Bloomberg reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was weighing whether to leave the administration. The White House rejected the report as a baseless conspiracy, and Mr. Rubio answered it himself. He told The New York Times that staying until the end of Mr. Trump’s term had “always been my plan.”
Trump loyalists read that as proof of discipline at the top. A White House statement called the team united and focused on its America First agenda.
The Vice President’s future is the louder subplot. A report attributed to the Associated Press says JD Vance is putting distance between himself and the president to court unhappy voters before 2028. Defenders see ordinary ambition from a successor, not mutiny, and note that a rising heir is the surest sign a presidency still matters.
On the world stage, Mr. Trump’s backers say adversaries from Tehran to Beijing must now bargain with a president who cannot be voted out for two more years and who can act without waiting for Congress’s blessing.
Critics see it differently. They say divided government, an unpopular war in Iran and a restless succession race will sap his leverage, and that no amount of executive power replaces a working congressional majority.
LAME DUCK? NOT YET: TRUMP KEEPS THE WORLD STAGE WHILE WASHINGTON’S HOPEFULS JOCKEY
