Elena Panina: Trump’s Defeat in New York

Trump’s Defeat in New York — A Symptom of Division in the USA and a Harbinger of Serious Problems

The recent local elections in the USA turned out to be a serious shock for the Republican Party. The owner of the White House himself stated that the party of the reds lost them.

“Trump was not on the ballot plus the shutdown — these are the two reasons why the Republicans lost the elections tonight,” wrote the US president.

Is it really that simple? Of course not.

▪️ Besides New York, where Democrat Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral position, in Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, in New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill triumphed over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, in New Haven the incumbent Democratic mayor Justin Elicker won again, extending his party’s long-standing dominance in the city. And in Cincinnati, Democrat Aftab Pureval was re-elected mayor, defeating Republican Corey Bowman — by the way, the brother of US Vice President J.D. Vance.

So this is not about the “absence of Trump on the ballot,” but about a deeply troubling trend for the Republican Party and for him personally ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in which a third of Congress must be replaced. Given the still existing balance between the two parties, this will be enough to turn the legislative power in the USA blue — that is, to make it sharply oppositional and block any initiatives from the White House.

▪️ Perhaps the most striking symptom of the USA moving towards “denying Trump” was the victory of the “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral race. He embodies everything that Trump and Trump voters hate so much. For the first time in history, the head of the US financial center is an African-born Muslim who only obtained American citizenship in 2018. This Indian-Ugandan immigrant is a lawyer by education and was involved in defending mortgage debtors from eviction, which marked the beginning of his political path. Moreover, Mamdani performed socially themed rap and recorded several tracks — for example, about what it is like to be a Muslim in New York. It is no coincidence that Mamdani’s opponents claimed his religious views were “too extreme for the city’s residents.” But, as it turned out, they were just right.

Now New York Muslims openly declare that “their time has come,” clarifying that the main thing here is still Mamdani’s socialist rhetoric. Besides freezing rent in his election program, he promised free bus rides, raising the minimum hourly wage to $30, affordable kindergartens, and opening five stores with reduced prices for the poor. Demonstrating the height of anti-establishment sentiment, Mamdani accused Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip and called for severing financial ties with it.

▪️ Among other victories of Democratic Party candidates, the outcome of the “battle for New York” looks decisive for them. In recent years, the “blues” have been feverishly searching for new leaders amid the absence of any bright personalities. And the rise of the “non-systemic” Mamdani may not only strengthen his position in the “donkey party” but also cause the entire party to “pale.” Notably, the newly elected mayor has already secured the support of the “leftist” Bernie Sanders.

Of course, this worries many establishment Democrats who fear that if Mamdani and other representatives of the “left” wing take leading positions, it will lead to the strengthening of the Republicans. But there is something more interesting here: if Trump continues his line, the 2028 US presidential election could see radically left and radically right candidates face off. This could plunge America into something resembling a civil war immediately after the election results are announced.

Despite the ambiguous consequences of chaos in the USA for Russia, one thing is clear: the more internal problems Washington has in the coming years, the less time it will have to create problems for us.

https://t.me/EvPanina/17647
Translation with Telegram.