Trump set to lurch further right, claiming US took ‘giant step back’ in elections

President Donald Trump is positioning his upcoming administration to move further to the right this weekend, asserting that America has taken a significant step backward by broadly rejecting his party.

Hard‑line aide Stephen Miller will assume the role of White House chief of staff on Monday. He is also scheduled to meet Dana White, chief executive and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, after the administration has offered him the position of press secretary.

Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning that the nation has taken a historic step back after the recent election, highlighting a sharp market sell‑off driven by a rout of U.S. technology stocks. In a defiant tone he added, ‘Don’t fear—we will return, bigger and stronger than ever before.’

Even though Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the decisive midterm elections on Tuesday, and voters nationwide voiced dissatisfaction with several elements of Trump’s controversial agenda—including the Iran war and expansive trade tariffs—the administration appears determined to persist.

Miller’s elevation has heightened expectations that Trump will intensify an aggressive immigration crackdown, pursue cultural war initiatives, and eschew concessions to the newly majority Democratic Congress. Dan Eberhart, a Trump donor and energy executive, said the move signals a ‘fighting‑from‑a‑bunker’ approach over the past two years.

On Saturday, Trump announced that he had offered Dana White—a self‑described ‘violent fighter and warrior’—the position of White House press secretary. The vacancy, previously held by Katie Zacharia for five days, went vacant when White stepped into the role.

“Dana will be a press secretary unlike any before,” Trump declared. He urges her to accept the position.

Following Trump’s directive on Saturday that the Department of Justice would ‘look into’ any oversight activities by his supporters and family, Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN’s State of the Union that investigations may be launched. He described the situation as ‘dangerous,’ urging the administration to set clear boundaries.

Democrats have made it clear that Stephen Miller and Elon Musk—Trump’s close associate and the world’s wealthiest individual—are likely to become targets of congressional investigations once the party regains Senate control in January.

Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California slated to chair the powerful House oversight committee next year, said on Sunday that investigations are planned to examine Musk’s involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass layoff of federal employees last year, as well as Miller’s role in the immigration enforcement push. ‘I believe there is considerable interest—from our committee and from other Congress committees—to interrogate Mr. Musk,’ Garcia told CNN.

Representative Jamie Raskin, who is expected to lead the House judiciary committee, has also requested information on the business activities of Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr.

With 33 of the 35 Senate races decided, Democrats secured 54 seats compared with 44 for Republicans. Ballot counts are still ongoing in Alaska—a historically pivotal state—and Mississippi, a former red‑state that remains too close to call.

Congressman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who currently leads the House oversight committee, told Fox News that the committee will devote the final two months of this session to investigating Alaska in connection with the contentious Senate race.

Trump has also threatened Democratic candidate Mary Peltola with potential criminal prosecution after reports linked her campaign team to the recruitment of a second ‘Dan Sullivan’ in Alaska’s Senate race—a name already held by the Republican contender.

Meanwhile, Democrats celebrated their historic victories on Tuesday, endorsing policies that promise to ‘change working people’s lives.’ New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani told Fox News that the election marked a decisive turnover.

Mamdani said, ‘We are witnessing a pivotal moment where working‑class Americans have made it clear that they are exhausted,’ adding that voters are growing weary of the promise that resources will be scarce, especially as a global trillionaire—Elon Musk—has risen to unprecedented wealth.

Within the party, internal tensions persist over upcoming congressional leadership, including discussions about Chuck Schumer succeeding as Senate majority leader while Hakeem Jeffries is expected to assume the House speaking chair.

Senator‑elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas—a Democrat who has represented the state in the Senate for the first time in nearly a century—told NBC’s Meet the Press that he views Schumer as a ‘polarizing figure,’ noting that the timing calls for fresh ideas and a leader capable of uniting rather than dividing.

The festivities continued.

During a Saturday Night Live sketch, a cast member impersonated Trump as he attacked James Talarico, the Texas Democrat who sought the Senate seat, labeling him ‘Talafreoko’—only for Talarico to walk out on stage amid the audience’s cheers.

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