Let’s get one thing out of the way: The US midterm election result on Wednesday is not so much a pro-Democratic Party vote as it is unequivocally against US President Donald Trump. To be sure, the Democratic Party did not project anything significantly different or radical in terms of policy proposals. In fact, most of its candidates in key battleground states rode the anti-incumbency wave and won.

Trump’s message to every state he canvassed in was, “Vote like I am on the ballot.” This was political hubris, and voters don’t like arrogance. This was a massive referendum on Trump, not so much a reflection of individual candidates.

The Republican Party has surrendered control of the House of Representatives and lost crucial Senate seats, giving the Democrats a clear majority in both houses. But if the world thinks this is going to result in a more mellow and modest Trump, we’re deluding ourselves. If anything, Trump is likely to harden his stance.

Historical precedent and his rhetoric suggest he will lurch towards aggressive authoritarianism.

It is not just the defeat that is stinging him; it is the nature of it. In Ohio's gubernatorial race, the liberal Amy Acton defeated Trump-endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, decisively rejecting the cruel, personal attack ads Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly celebrated. In neighbouring Michigan, progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed made history as the first Muslim US senator, overcoming Trump’s targeted Islamophobic messages to defeat the President’s hand-picked candidate, Mike Rogers. Sherrod Brown reclaimed his Ohio Senate seat.

These results will infuriate a president who views political opposition through the lens of personal grievance, toxic masculinity, and unconcealed........

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