Major foreign media outlets assessed the Democratic Party's sweeping victory in U.S. local elections held on the 4th (local time) as a "judgment" on the Donald Trump administration for promising an economic revival but failing to resolve voters' economic hardships.
In the New York mayoral race, where President Trump even pledged that "if a Democratic candidate is elected, I will cut off government aid," Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani won. In the Virginia governor's race, Abigail Spanberger won, and in the New Jersey governor's race, Mikie Sherrill defeated the Republican candidates and was elected. Except for Virginia, which is considered a swing state, the other two are traditional Democratic strongholds.
Held exactly one year after President Trump's victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election last year, this election drew attention as a "midterm evaluation" of Trump's second term in power, but as expected, the Democrats scored a sweeping victory. As each Democratic candidate pledged to tackle the surging cost of living, the results confirmed to some extent that voter discontent over inflation is significant.
The New York Times (NYT) on the 5th analyzed, "The political dynamics that unfolded on Tuesday were simple and familiar," and said, "Voters are dissatisfied with the economy and are beginning to blame Republicans, not Democrats." The Financial Times (FT) of the United Kingdom also reported, "U.S. voters remain unhappy with inflation and are warning that Trump is struggling to contain it."
President Trump was elected on a promise of economic revival under the slogan "Make America Great Again," but voters' assessments of the Trump administration's economic policies are negative. According to a recent NBC News poll, only 30% of voters said President Trump met expectations for addressing inflation and the cost-of-living problem.
In a CNN poll in late Oct., only 27% of voters said President Trump's policies improved the national economic situation, while twice as many said he worsened the economy. Rep. Suzan DelBene, who leads the House Democratic campaign committee, criticized, "Trump is indifferent to the pain felt by American households."
Recently, President Trump has continued words and actions that appear to ignore Americans' cost-of-living burdens. In a "60 Minutes" interview on CBS on the 2nd, he claimed, "We don't have inflation," and "grocery prices have actually fallen." But this is directly at odds with a recent announcement that, due to the Trump administration's tariff policy, the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) in September rose 3% from a year earlier.
Trump also pledged from day one of his inauguration to "cut unnecessary expense" through large-scale executive orders and a reorganization, but recently he has undertaken lavish remodeling, such as tearing down the White House East Wing to build a new banquet hall and replacing the Lincoln Bathroom with glossy marble. During the government shutdown (temporary work stoppage) and just before food aid cuts, he even hosted a lavish Halloween party under the theme "A little party never killed anybody."
The NYT reported, "President Trump's inconsistent stance on economic issues has given Democrats material to attack," adding, "In some ways, President Trump finds himself in a predicament similar to the one Democrats faced a year ago." In this election, Democratic candidates pinned responsibility for economic pain on President Trump, and the Republican Party's existing image of "handling the economy well" was also shaken.
President Trump reacted as if unbothered, saying the Democratic victory was already a foregone conclusion. At a breakfast with Republican senators at the White House on the 5th, he said, "Exactly one year ago, we scored that big, beautiful win," adding, "I did not expect to win the night before. It was originally a very strong Democratic area." He also argued that the prolonged shutdown worked to the disadvantage of Republicans.