NUNZIUM

The US midterm elections of 2022 are arguably the most discussed and awaited. They come at a historical time for America and the world. The US economy is indeed facing high inflation, while tensions are high with Russia over the Ukraine crisis and China over Taiwan. Furthermore, internal politics is in turmoil due to a succession of facts involving former president Donald Trump. On January 6, 2021, following then–U.S. President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. They sought to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. An ongoing investigation is now assessing the possibility that this was premeditated by Trump with the intent to overturn the election results. After Biden is elected president, however, other events occurred that put Trump under scrutiny. After a long procedure involving the National Archives and the FBI, on August 8 2022 the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump's Florida property, uncovering 13 boxes or containers with documents marked classified. Trump, in a post online, says the records were "all declassified" and placed in "secure storage." A day later, Trump, who continues to hint at a possible 2024 run for the presidency, cites the FBI search in a campaign fundraising appeal. A legal process is now ongoing to assess the penal responsibilities of ex-president Trump, who has been pushing the electoral campaigns for the Republicans. After the vote on November 8 Republicans are favored to win the House of Representatives, but the fight for the Senate is on a knife edge. Although President Joe Biden is not on the ballot, the midterms will shape the fate of his agenda. If Democrats lose control of either the House or the Senate their decisional power will be more limited than in the last two years. Until now, president Joe Biden could count on a strong majority in the House while the Senate, in parity, was to be considered a majority since Vice President Kamala Harris holds the casting vote power. Despite the results having been beyond the expectations of the Democrats, which feared a “red wave” in favor of the Republicans, it remains true that they will not have a strong majority in either of the two chambers, therefore ensuring hardships ahead for current president Joe Biden.