British front pages speak of a heavy defeat for Trump and a rift in his own camp, Swiss commentaries see US democracy confirmed but Trump not beaten
From the Financial Times to the Daily Mail, the British press puts Vance's distancing and the criticism from the MAGA camp up front, in Switzerland Blick and Le Courrier differ in their interpretation.
In Great Britain, the congressional election dominates almost all front pages on Thursday. In Switzerland, commentaries read the result differently. The basis is projections according to which the Democrats win the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Great Britain: defeat and dispute in the Trump camp. According to the press review by the BBC (5 November, 06:37 CET, at Yahoo News), the Financial Times leads with “Crushing midterm rebuke to Trump” and names anger over the cost of living as the reason. The Daily Telegraph and the i put Vice President JD Vance in the foreground, who blames the Iran war for the defeat. The Daily Mail writes that the MAGA camp is turning against Trump. The Times highlights that the Democrats are making history. The Guardian, the Independent and the Mirror speak of a rebuff or a disaster for Trump, Metro and the Daily Star attack him with puns about a lame duck and a final curtain. According to the BBC, what the papers have in common is their view of Trump as a weakened president, of the Iran war and the cost of living as causes, and of Vance's distance.
Switzerland: democracy is alive, Trump remains powerful. In the tabloid Blick (4 November, 10:46 CET), reporter Peter Hossli writes: “Die amerikanische Demokratie lebt.” (American democracy is alive.) The result shows that it is more resilient than prophets of doom claimed, he writes. The Democrats must now find compromises with the White House and solve everyday problems.
The left-wing Geneva newspaper Le Courrier (4 November, 17:47 CET), in an editorial by Guy Zurkinden, sees a heavy defeat for Trump, but not an end. “Donald Trump reste à la tête de la principale puissance militaire du monde” (Donald Trump remains at the head of the world's leading military power), it says. The far right is not down, and the left wing of the Democrats must increase the pressure on its own party leadership.
These are the interpretations of the respective newspapers. Further press voices from abroad are under Reports.