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Even as the year winds down, there is not a shred of evidence that the political season in America is about to change. In fact, there is everything to indicate that the political atmosphere is only getting charged up even more, especially with the mid-term Congressional elections around the “corner” in November 2026.
Democrats are aggressively looking at changing the composition of the House of Representatives, besides making a meaningful dent in the Senate, in the hopes of putting a brake on the policies of the Trump administration. Republicans, on the other hand, are frantically looking at ways to hold on to razor-thin majorities.
President Donald Trump continues to be jolted with poll numbers, each one of them showing his approval rating slipping and now at an all-time low of about 36 percent, or on a downward spiral. But what is worrisome not only to the White House but also to rank-and-file Republicans is that President Trump’s approvals on some of his signature policies like the economy, tariffs, and immigration are also on a downward slide. Add to this the apprehension of Hispanics who rallied behind President Trump in 2024 moving away, which puts Republicans seeking or retaining office very much on the defensive.
With subsidies to the economically disadvantaged due to run out by the beginning of 2026, moderate Republicans are pressuring hardliners to come to an accord of sorts before the formal break for the holidays. But President Trump is upbeat about the way he is handling the economy, or for that matter his overall performance, giving himself an “A” followed by five pluses.
His Vice President, J.D. Vance, rates his boss perhaps only two pluses less! But the general feeling is that somehow the numbers do not add up, with unemployment and inflation as two major standouts. There is somehow a feeling that the administration needs to come up with some other narrative than a fake media putting out fake numbers.
It does not take political Washington much to get excited. And this came by way of Susie Wiles’ set of interviews with Vanity Fair, seen by many as a candid expression of views but by the administration as a “hit job” that omitted the context.
The highly rated President’s Chief of Staff did not mince words talking about her boss and his obsession with political retribution; that tariffs may have gone too far; taking a swipe at Elon Musk for dismantling the USAID in his time at the Department of Government Efficiency; or the Attorney General Pam Bondi for having “whiffed” on the understanding of the Epstein Files. The first reaction of the President is one of standing by his Chief of Staff, but the political fallout of the wide-ranging views is being assessed, with the final word still a distance away.
And mixed up in all the domestic excitement is the new Executive Order that effectively quarantines Venezuela on the movement of sanctioned oil tankers. It is a well-known fact that this shadow fleet is the backbone of Caracas’ economy by plying heavily discounted crude to countries like China. And Washington, since the time of the raid on Skipper, has made it known that other very large carriers are also fair game, thereby heightening tensions in the Caribbean. Adding to the continued showdown, the United States has been hitting narco-boats in the eastern Pacific—more than 25 boats have been destroyed, resulting in the loss of some 100 persons.
At the heart of the ongoing Venezuela debate on the boat strikes is one that took place in early September, when the American military apparently did a “double tap”—that is, coming back for a second strike—with a video showing two persons hanging on to the debris. But the Pentagon insists that the two were radioing for help. The Pentagon adamantly refuses to make public this part of the video on grounds that it is of a highly classified nature. Lawmakers who have seen the footage are divided along party lines, with some of them stressing that the tape ought to be made public.
The hopeful quiet holiday season has also been shattered on many personal fronts: the terror attack in Australia at Condi Beach targeting Jewish people, taking the lives of some 15 innocents besides wounding many more; the shooting at Brown University that took the lives of two promising students; and the horrific murder of Hollywood personality Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle.
All of these incidents have had varied impacts on communities that continue to be shocked by acts of terrorism, reckless use of guns, and domestic violence, going by any name. President Trump came in for special mention in the media as a result of his remarks on the killing of Reiner, who was a known Democratic Party donor and supporter of progressive causes.
“I wasn’t a fan of him at all. He was a deranged person, as far as I’m concerned,” the President said at the White House, while earlier, in a social media post, the Hollywood icon was referred to as “crazy” and suffering from “a mind-crippling disease called Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.
