"Early Lame Duck" Becomes a Fact... What's Next for Trump?

[Anchor]

Let's now connect to Washington to examine the fallout from the midterm elections.

Correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam, an "early lame duck" has become a fait accompli. How will President Trump respond going forward?

[Reporter]

U.S. media outlets are describing this midterm election as a "historic judgment" and saying that "America has rejected Trump."

The analysis is that President Trump now has little choice but to rely on exercising his "veto power" to hold his ground.

For Congress to override a presidential veto, it requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate.

This translates to 290 seats in the House and 67 seats in the Senate.

Although the Democratic Party has taken control of both chambers, it has not secured enough seats to override a veto.

Because of this, President Trump likely calculates that he can neutralize bills spearheaded by Democrats through veto politics.

Of course, from Trump's perspective, governance through legislation has also become virtually impossible.

Both sides can tie each other's hands, yet neither can walk—a deadlock.

This is essentially set to become the baseline of U.S. politics for the next two years.

Instead, Trump is expected to actively utilize his broad executive powers in areas like tariffs and immigration, which do not require congressional approval.

He is also projected to continue his public relations warfare utilizing social media.

However, the prevailing analysis is that because public sentiment against Trump has been reaffirmed through this election, its effectiveness may not be the same as before.

[Anchor]

There are also talks that he might preemptively pardon his aides. What does that mean?

[Reporter]

This is something President Trump himself mentioned just before the election.

He stated that in preparation for Democrats launching full-scale investigations targeting aides and key administration figures like Elon Musk, he could issue preemptive special pardons.

He also emphasized their legitimacy by citing his precedent of pardoning some 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol riot on January 6 of last year, his first day back in office.

The new Congress is scheduled to open on January 3 of next year.

This means the Republican Party still controls both the House and Senate until then.

Alongside this, projections are emerging that he will push through judicial and high-ranking appointments as much as possible during this roughly two-month window.

[Anchor]

And what kind of impact will this have on the international landscape?

[Reporter]

Possibilities are being raised that President Trump could adopt hardline policies in the diplomatic sphere, where congressional influence is relatively limited, in order to turn the tables.

In particular, predictions suggest he may attempt so-called "bold deals" with North Korea, China, and Russia in the process to secure his own diplomatic achievements.

The case of the Iran conflict is somewhat different.

It is expected that Democrats will pressure Trump by bringing resolutions demanding a halt to military actions to a vote and refusing to approve related budget bills.

(On-site reporting: Oh Jung-shik, Video editing: Lee Seung-jin, Design: Han Heung-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.