US by-elections are a message to the world’s ‘hateful rulers’
The Democratic Party has scored a resounding victory in the US midterm elections, gaining complete control of both houses of the US Congress (Congress), the Senate and the House of Representatives. With the Republican Party losing its majority in both houses, a “divided government” has emerged in the US for the remainder of Trump’s term. According to official figures announced for November 13, 2026, the upper house, the US Senate, has a clear majority, winning 55 seats. The Democratic Party also includes two independent MPs who are in alliance with the Democrats. The ruling Republican Party has been reduced to 44 seats. Similarly, in the lower house, the US House of Representatives, which has a total of 435 seats, a majority requires 218 seats. Of the 424 seats declared so far, the Democratic Party has won 255 seats, while the Republican Party has secured 169. This is being reported as the second-largest victory for the Democrats in House elections in the last 112 years. Making inroads into several Republican strongholds, Democratic candidates won several Senate seats in states traditionally considered Republican strongholds. These include Iowa, North Carolina, Maine (Troy Dale Jackson), South Carolina (Annie Andrews), and Mississippi (Scott Colom). Similarly, in Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of any US state. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor. Abdul El-Sayed from Michigan became the nation’s first Muslim senator, and Chris Pappas from New Hampshire became the first openly gay male senator. It is believed that President Trump will find it increasingly difficult to advance his legislative agenda once the new Congress is sworn in in January 2027. With control of both the Senate and House, the Democratic Party will now have the power to block President Trump’s judicial and cabinet appointments. Additionally, Democratic-led congressional committees will be able to launch investigations into the White House’s operations and policies.
The question now is: did the peace-loving American public not appreciate Trump’s “MAGA” “Make America Great Again” campaign, or did they recognize Trump’s hateful and capitalist agenda hidden behind the guise of “MAGA”? In fact, Trump, who has consistently supported Benjamin Netanyahu, the hero of the Gaza massacre and the unprovoked war against Iran, tried his best to infuse the recent US by-elections with hate by spewing sectarian venom in his speeches. During the election campaign, he made several sharp and controversial statements against Muslim candidates in the Democratic Party. These included linking them to terrorism, questioning their citizenship, tarnishing their image, and invoking religious law. For example, Abdul al-Sayed, the Democratic candidate who won the US Senate election from Michigan, was a target of Trump’s during the election campaign. Trump repeatedly called al-Sayed “cruel, violent, and a jihadist” at Michigan election rallies. Trump stated that he came to Michigan to “prevent a jihadist ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ member from becoming a US senator.” At a rally on November 1, 2026, just before the election, Trump stated that if al-Sayed won the election, metal detectors would be installed in the Senate to check him before he could enter. In his speeches, he deliberately referred to Abdul al-Sayed as “Mohammed.” Trump’s hateful rhetoric reached such a height that he appealed to voters to defeat al-Sayed and “send him back where he came from,” even though al-Sayed was born in Michigan, USA. Furthermore, Trump used images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to oppose al-Sayed.
Furthermore, Trump also launched sharp personal and political attacks on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, current Muslim members of the House of Representatives. He mocked Omar’s native country, Somalia, saying she comes from “a country that isn’t even a country.” In August 2016, Trump targeted Somali-born people and leaders, saying, “They’re not intelligent, they have no talent, and they’re telling us how to run our country.” He also stated in the Oval Office, “We have jihadists getting elected everywhere.” Similarly, Trump repeatedly told Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar that they should go back to their “countries of origin” (Palestine and Somalia), even though Rashida Tlaib was born in America. Trump and his allies created a broader narrative targeting not just individual Muslim candidates, but Muslim leaders across the Democratic party as a whole. Trump and Republican leaders claimed during their election campaign that the victory of Muslim candidates would lead to the implementation of Sharia law in America. Without any evidence, the hateful Trump made false and baseless accusations against Muslim candidates; including links to several banned organizations and the “Muslim Brotherhood,” and questioned their loyalty to America. It is noteworthy that during the 2025 New York City mayoral campaign, he also used harsh, personal, racist, and derogatory language against Zohran Mamdani. He launched Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani, calling him a “100% crazy communist,” a disaster, unattractive, xenophobic, anti-national, and a destroyer of New York. Yet, the people of New York elected Mamdani victorious in the mayoral election.
This kind of communal propaganda, unleashed by the Republican Party, especially Trump, has been strongly opposed in the history of American elections. Many prominent leaders, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, criticized Trump’s propaganda against Muslims. Numerous organizations also condemned Trump’s hateful rhetoric, calling it “racist.” On the other hand, this aggressive and Islamophobic propaganda had the opposite effect: it not only mobilized Muslim and minority voters, but also galvanized liberal American Christians to support the Democratic Party, resulting in the election of a record seven Muslim candidates to the US Congress in the 2026 elections. Undoubtedly, the US elections are a clear message to the world’s “hateful rulers” that the politics of hatred does not thrive for long.
By Author Tanveer Jafri
(About the Author)
Author Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India.He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/magazines and news portals in India and abroad. Jafri, Almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc.He is a devoted social activist for world peace, unity, integrity & global brotherhood. Thousands of articles of the author have been published in different newspapers, websites & newsportals throughout the world. He is also a recipient of so many awards in the field of Communal Harmony & other social activities. (Email : tjafri1@gmail.com )
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