First reactions to US midterm elections
November 11th, 2022Commentators from across the political spectrum ponder the implications of the US midterm election results – on the US, and beyond.
Magyar Nemzet’s László Szőcs interprets the midterm election results as an indication that Americans endorse conservative politicians who stand up against ‘woke’ progressive ideology. As an example, the pro-government commentator mentions governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbot of Texas as the leaders of the conservative anti-woke movement, adding that DeSantis may also challenge Donald Trump in the Republican Primaries. Szőcs adds that US political developments have important implications for Europe and Hungary as well. The return of the US Right would create an opportunity for the Hungarian government to find new allies in its battle for national sovereignty against ‘globalists’, who include the current US ambassador to Hungary, Szőcs writes. He also repeats a claim often heard from Hungarian government figures, that if the US is led by the Republicans, the Ukraine war will probably end sooner.
In Népszava, Gábor Horváth sees Donald Trump as the biggest loser of the midterm election. In a sarcastic comment, the left-wing columnist claims that Prime Minister Orbán’s ‘curse’ made an impact, recalling that in the past years several politicians openly supported by the Hungarian Prime Minister were defeated. Horváth contends that after some of Trump’s endorsees lost their races, Donald Trump may lose support within the GOP. Horváth adds that voters who wanted to defend the right to abortion turned out to be an important pool for the Democratic Party.
On Mandier, Gellért Rajcsányi believes that the midterm election portends an ever more polarized US, increasingly preoccupied with its internal battles and cleavages. The conservative blogger regretfully predicts that the US is unlikely to return to its former role of global policeman, though the world would need a stronger and more predictable leader who provides stability.