Is Donald Trump just a 'lame duck' president as Democrats sweep US midterm elections and take control of the House of Representatives?

President Donald Trump may have entered his "lame duck" phase after two turbulent years in office, as the Democrats are on the path to win back control of the House of Representatives. Trump, who pulled off a historic comeback in the 2024 presidential election, tried hard to fend off that label but voters clearly had other plans. Here's what the election results could mean for President Trump.

What will a 'lame duck' Trump be like?

Trump, who views himself as a political fighter, has time and again hinted that he will keep on fighting if the Republicans lose control of either of the chambers of the Congress.


"If we didn't win, I veto everything," Trump had earlier told the New York Post. The White House has also said it is ready to combat whatever investigations the Democrats may throw at them.

"They'll probably go after me, and I'll go after them," Trump had said in an interview with Time magazine. Trump is also expected to direct the Department of Justice to investigate Democrats who might try to probe him.

Is this the end of Trump?

Analysts have warned that Trump as a "lame duck" could prove to be the most vengeful Trump of all time.

"I'm skeptical that President Trump will go quiet into that good night," Peter Loge, director of the George Washington University's (GWU) School of Media and Public Affairs, told the news agency AFP.

"There is nothing in history that says he will say 'I've been beaten, my time is over.' Every time Trump has been backed into a corner, he has shouted more and come out fighting," Loge added.

Trump remains powerful in several areas

Foreign policy is one realm, where despite being a lame duck president, Trump will continue to wield wide-ranging powers.

He could renew military offensive against Iran, though on the eve of the midterms, Trump seemed optimistic that fresh talks could produce a peace deal.

"I don't think he wants his legacy to be a warmonger. He wants his legacy to have left America stronger,," Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution told AFP.

In terms of trade, Trump is likely to remain unrelenting, as is evident from his recent hostility toward neighboring Canada. As someone who loves attention, Trump is also expected to not let the spotlight sway toward any of his potential successors for the 2028 presidential election, experts say.