Welcome to accountability, Mr President

There is something rather satisfying about watching Donald Trump discover that an election can have consequences.

For Trump, November 3, 2026, may eventually be remembered as the moment his second presidency began to lose its political armour.

The American electorate delivered a substantial rebuke to the Republican Party, handing Democrats control of both the House and the Senate. This was no narrow victory or technical shift in parliamentary arithmetic. It was a significant political reversal that will reshape the final two years of Trump’s presidency.

The Republicans entered the midterms controlling both chambers of Congress. They leave them facing an opposition determined to scrutinise an administration that has grown used to operating with limited resistance.

And Trump, predictably, isn’t taking it particularly well.

The problem with losing your majority

For much of his second term, Trump has enjoyed the political advantage of a Republican-controlled Congress. That arrangement provided real protection from serious legislative opposition and gave his administration considerable room to pursue its agenda.

That protection is about to disappear.

When the new Congress takes office on January 3, 2027, Democrats will control both chambers. The consequences will be substantial. Congressional committees will be able to hold hearings, demand documents, summon witnesses and investigate the conduct of the administration.

Among the areas already attracting attention are immigration enforcement, alleged corruption, the handling of public money, the expansion of executive power and the conduct of federal agencies.

This is what congressional oversight is supposed to look like.

It is not persecution. It is not a conspiracy. It is not an attempt to overthrow an elected president. It is democracy doing what democracy is meant to do: ensuring that those entrusted with public power are answerable for how they exercise it.

Of course, Trump has never been particularly enthusiastic about that arrangement.

Accountability is apparently a criminal offence

Perhaps the most revealing indication of Trump’s attitude came after the election. On November 7 he directed the Justice Department to investigate Democrats, accusing them of committing a criminal act by threatening investigations and possible impeachment.

Think about that for a moment.

The president who has repeatedly demanded investigations into political opponents is now directing the Justice Department to investigate Democrats because they intend to investigate his administration.

There is a certain irony here that would be difficult to invent even in political satire.

Trump appears to regard investigations as perfectly legitimate when they concern his opponents, but potentially criminal when they concern him. The distinction, apparently, is not whether wrongdoing has occurred. It is whether the person being investigated happens to be Donald Trump.

That is a troubling understanding of presidential authority. The Justice Department is not supposed to function as a president’s personal instrument for intimidating political opponents. Its responsibility is to the law, not to the political comfort of whoever occupies the Oval Office.

The investigations are only the beginning

Democratic leaders have made it clear that oversight will be a priority once they assume control. That does not mean every allegation will be proven, nor should it. Investigations must follow evidence, not political enthusiasm.

But there are legitimate questions that deserve answers. How have federal agencies been managed? Have public resources been used appropriately? Have immigration enforcement policies complied with the law? Have government contracts and decisions been influenced by personal or political interests? And what of the growing concentration of executive power?

These are not trivial questions. They concern the integrity of American democratic institutions.

Trump can veto legislation. He can complain about congressional investigations. He can attack individual lawmakers and dismiss their questions as politically motivated. What he cannot legitimately demand is immunity from scrutiny.

The presidency is an enormously powerful office, but it is not a monarchy.

The voters have delivered their verdict

The voters have spoken. They have not removed Trump from office, nor have they given Democrats an unlimited mandate. But they have changed the balance of power and made it clear that presidential authority comes with political consequences.

For two years, Trump has enjoyed the advantage of a Congress largely controlled by his own party. From January he will face an opposition with both the authority and the responsibility to scrutinise his administration.

And perhaps that is what makes the election so significant. A president who has spent years demanding absolute loyalty will now have to deal with people whose job is to ask uncomfortable questions.

He may find that experience rather unpleasant.

After all, it is considerably easier to behave like a king when everyone around you is pretending you are one.

Unfortunately for Donald Trump, the American electorate has just reminded him that the United States has a Constitution, not a royal succession.

And the new Congress has a job to do.

Welcome to accountability, Mr President. You might want to get comfortable.