Hanson: Iran and economy will define Trump's final two years
Despite a split Congress, the historian argues the president retains executive power to push for denuclearization and economic growth.
By Natalie Castro ·
President Donald Trump retains significant executive power to shape foreign policy in his remaining term, according to Victor Davis Hanson. The senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution stated that the administration’s success will hinge on two specific outcomes: rapid economic growth and the denuclearization of Iran.
Democrats secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday’s election. Gains included Senate victories in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Kansas. These new majorities will assume office in January, creating a divided government for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
Hanson wrote in The Free Press that the president will rely on executive orders to maintain a domestic agenda. He expects Democrats to block judicial and Cabinet nominations, a tactic comparable to the midterm defeats faced by Bill Clinton in 1994 and Barack Obama in 2010.
Reuters reported that voter frustration over the Iran war and rising living costs drove the Democratic surge. Trump accepted the election results and signaled a willingness to work with the new congressional leadership. He maintained that he would veto legislation he deems unacceptable.
The new Democratic majorities hold direct leverage over administration appointments and federal spending. Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber, a higher threshold than the simple majority needed to control Congress.
Yonah Jeremy Bob of The Jerusalem Post argued that Democrats could constrain Trump’s Iran strategy through investigations and delayed appointments. He urged Israel to engage with both the White House and congressional Democrats regarding security concerns. Hanson also predicted that Democratic overreach could weaken their position, citing the political backlash against Clinton impeachment efforts as a precedent. He noted that victories by progressive candidates, including Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and Texas’s James Talarico, may shift the 2028 presidential field to the left.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
