Press in Mexico, Argentina, Israel and the Philippines asks what the Republicans' defeat means for Trump's allies in their own countries

Media in several countries are asking what the congressional election means for governments that have bet heavily on President Trump. This is based on projections according to which the Democrats win the Senate and the House of Representatives. There is no official final result yet. The new Congress convenes on 3 January 2027.

Mexico: Latin America's right loses backing. The magazine Proceso (Rafael Croda from Bogotá, 5 November, 12:00 CET) writes that the Republicans' defeat weakens right-wing presidents in the region who have relied on Trump. It names Javier Milei (Argentina), Abelardo de la Espriella (Colombia), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador) and José Antonio Kast (Chile). The Democratic Congress could review financial, military and security aid for the region. International relations expert María Zuluaga says these presidents “lucraron políticamente con la fortaleza de Trump” (profited politically from Trump's strength).

Argentina: closeness remains, aid becomes less certain. The newspaper El Tribuno from Salta (5 November, no author given) writes that Milei retains his privileged access in Washington. In the event of a new need for financial aid, however, objections from the Democrats could make the decision more costly. The government in Washington does, however, retain its own instruments. The newspaper sums up: “La afinidad permanece; su traducción en respaldo financiero y político ofrece menos certezas” (The closeness remains; its translation into financial and political support is less certain).

Israel: pressure via the budget. The Times of Israel (Jacob Magid, US bureau chief, 5 November) writes that the Democrats want to end the war with Iran through their control over the budget. Military aid for Israel has to be approved by Congress every year. Relations between the two countries would remain strained under Prime Minister Netanyahu. Joel Braunold of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace says there that a lot has to change in Israel: “things there have to change pretty radically”.

Philippines: Manila as a counterexample. The magazine Rolling Stone Philippines (Reyza Ferranco, 5 November, 08:44 CET) sees Trump's political allies in several countries under pressure. The Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, remain closely tied to Washington. Trump is expected at the ASEAN summit on 16 November.

What the texts have in common is the question of whether governments that have bet on Trump will now receive less backing from Washington. They disagree on how much: the texts from Argentina and the Philippines stress that closeness to the Trump administration remains. These are the views of the respective media and the experts quoted there. Further press voices are under Reports, what the new Congress can do from January is in the timeline.