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US midterm elections 2026: Trump faces crucial test as control of Congress is at stake
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00:05Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're joining us here on the special broadcast on India today.
00:10I'm Akshita Nandakopal. Over the next 60 minutes, we're putting the spotlight on the midterm
00:14elections that's kicked off in America. An election that otherwise would have never gathered
00:19as much attention globally today is the biggest talking point. The House of Representatives,
00:25the Senate up for grabs. But much bigger than that, this is a litmus test for Donald Trump
00:32at a time when every decision he takes has massive geopolitical ripples. Over the next one hour,
00:38we're going to break down for you all the latest updates coming in from America with regards to
00:42the voting. Who has the edge based on opinion polls? We'll have Rohit Sharma joining us live
00:48from Washington, D.C. and the best of the best right here on India Today are in-house experts
00:53to analyze, decode for you the big takeaways of this midterm. Let's begin with the headlines.
01:04The polling stations have opened in America in a high-stakes midterm election. 435,
01:10House 35, Senate seats up for grabs. Inflation, West Asia war remain top focus.
01:22BJP's blistering attack on Rahul for calling Prime Minister foreign-controlled. Modi Mantri calls
01:28Rahul a pathological liar, says Rahul faces charges of dual citizenship.
01:38It's choke season once again in the capital. Delhi Mantri claims Punjab cops burning crops post images
01:45of cops at farm fires as Punjab cops are enabling these fires. Our fact check says cops are actually
01:51putting them out. After the attack on Bollywood star Tiger Shroff is Tushar Kapoor on the hit list. Next gets
02:04alleged Bishnoi gang extortion call. Caller seeks five crores in the name of key Bishnoi aid.
02:20Bombay High Court comes down hard on Netas criticizing Dia Mirza's Diwali ads as India is a secular nation
02:27instructs Mumbai Civic body BMC to restore the video after it was taken down. Maharashtra Chief
02:33Minister Devendra Fadnavis defends BMC action, also says this is a small issue that doesn't require
02:39so much attention.
02:55Voting is underway as we speak in most parts of America in the crucial midterm elections where
03:03essentially Donald Trump's fate will be sealed. Why do I say that? This isn't something that can
03:08vote him out but still is a clear referendum on him and the people of America having their say on
03:14whether it's a yay or a nay for Donald Trump as US President. As voting has kicked off let's get
03:21you
03:21the latest breaking news that's coming in because with me here in the studio I've got Pranay Upadhyay,
03:26Geeta Mohan as well as Gaurav Sawant. Like I promised the best of the best right here on India today.
03:32Rohit Sharma is joining us live from Washington DC and in Washington voting has already kicked off.
03:38Rohit, I'm going to begin with you. Good morning. What's the mood out there?
03:43Well, we are seeing a lot of people coming in. It's already 7.30, almost 7.30 a.m. and
03:49the mood on the
03:50ground seems like the Democrats have done everything in their power to make sure that they can win in this
03:56election. Now, behind me, I'll try to show you, just behind me, if you can see there, this is the
04:01voting center where I'm at. People are coming in, they're casting their vote and they're leaving.
04:05Two years ago, Akshay, I was at the same election center where I saw a lot of Republicans showing up
04:11to vote. And this time around, I don't even see a booth that usually you would see on the right,
04:16on my left side, you see something that says Democratic booth. You see all these people who are
04:20Democratic volunteers are standing right behind me. On the other side is where you would see the
04:24Republicans, but I don't see anybody. And what these volunteers are doing, Akshita,
04:29they're passing out these, what they're calling these as a sample ballots. They're telling people
04:34who are coming in, they're telling them who to vote for. And as you can see, probably if you can
04:37zoom
04:37in into this, they're saying vote for Mark Warner, who's the senator, and Volkin Shaw, who is the local
04:43district, House of Representatives in this district in Virginia. So essentially, the mood on the ground,
04:51if you were to ask me, I see nobody from the Republican Party, but the volunteers from Democratic
04:56Party are here. They're asking the voters to go in, asking them to vote for Democrats. And that should
05:03tell you how much time, money, energy and effort the Democrats have put in to make sure they can win
05:08the midterm elections. Akshita.
05:10You know, much like India, we talk about booth presence during the election, and that's kind of a
05:15way to also gauge the mood of each side. I think that's what Rohit is also giving us a sense
05:20of.
05:21Can I just focus also on the latest projections right now? And interestingly, that's giving Democrats
05:25an edge. Let's be very clear, voting is underway, but unlike India and America, you'll also constantly
05:31have these projections coming out, opinion polls that are constantly being put out. So a couple of
05:36numbers that we have, there's John Zoghbi Strategies, which projects the Dems ahead at 53%,
05:42and the Republicans closely behind at 47%. YouGov is another projection that's come out again at 53%
05:49Democrats and 44% Republicans. Quality IQ, national polling average at 52.7% for Democrats,
05:5643.2% for Republicans. So these are essentially some of the projections that have come to the fore.
06:03And even previously before this, most of the opinion polls do suggest that the Democrats have
06:08that edge. So far, 54.5 million Americans cast their ballots early, either in person or by mail.
06:16And what you need to understand about these midterms and how America's voting system works
06:20is that it's not just in 24 hours everyone voting. It's actually leading up to this moment for the last
06:25many weeks with people being given that opportunity to cast their ballot also by mail. And so a lot of
06:31the
06:31voting is already done. Let me bring in Geeta Mohan Pranay Upadhyay and Gaurav Savant on this. Geeta,
06:37to you first on the projections that we're putting out on our screens. Largely, this seems to be the
06:42view that the edge Geeta currently is to the Dems. Absolutely. It does seem like Democrats have an edge
06:49over Republicans. And also it's because, like Rohit was pointing out, unlike I've been speaking with
06:54various people on the ground. They're saying, Akshita, that the focus is economy and the fact that things
07:01have become dearer, prices have gone up and they're not very happy with the promises that were made and not
07:09kept. So these are primary reasons why voters are not looking at Republican Party this time around. So it's not
07:16a positive for Democrats. It's actually negative voting for the Republicans, Akshita. They do not want to show
07:23confidence in the Republicans and therefore are voting Democrats. Rohit, I'll just quickly bring
07:28you in on that. Do you view this essentially, if the Democrats are ahead, that it's essentially an
07:34anti-Trump vote and nothing else? That's the biggest factor here. I think, you know, you have to go back
07:39two years ago and you have to realize why did people vote for President Donald Trump? I think people wanted
07:44change. He talked about bringing the pricing down. He talked about how he would not start wars. He talked
07:48about common sense reforms. And what we've seen over the last two years is we've grappled with
07:53inflation. We are grappling with higher prices. We're grappling with this war that was supposed
07:57to be six weeks and still going on. And it's prolonged to the fact, to the point where the
08:01diesel prices have skyrocketed. So I think this essentially is the voters in America, the citizens
08:07of America, voting to send a message to President Trump to course correct. And I think that that is
08:12the correct statement to say this may not well be for the Democrats, but it's against the existing
08:18policies and sending a message to President Donald Trump.
08:22You know, I started off this broadcast. I'll bring in Gaurav Savant on this. I started off this
08:25broadcast, Gaurav, talking about how never before has a midterm election been this closely watched
08:31across the world. Why do you think that is? You know, why is this so high stakes that everyone's
08:37talking about it? Everyone's watching those images on our screens right now.
08:40It's the nature of the beast, if I may, and it's Donald Trump's policies. You know, he he's impacting
08:48the world in so many different ways, either through his tariffs or the war that is being waged,
08:54and it's having an impact across the world. So everyone wants to know what way will this will
08:59these policies move forward post the midterm elections. But if I may, when you look at American
09:04history and 250 years of American history, the incumbent in White House has won midterms only
09:10thrice. You know, and if you just look at recent history, whether it was Barack Obama or Joe Biden
09:16or Donald Trump in his first tenure, the incumbent in the White House loses the midterms.
09:22Projections, but you know, and if I may, projections in the past, they've often predicted
09:27with main elections, whether it was Kamala Harris's was likely to win or Hillary Clinton was likely to
09:33win. But both times they didn't. And Donald Trump did. So it really remains to be seen how things
09:40shape up. Yes, there is a very strong blue wave that is predicted. And diesel prices are the principal
09:46reason why America is so unhappy. The war in Iran supposed to last a week. It's still going on. Just
09:54this morning, Qashem Island was bombed by the Americans. They say it was a retaliatory measure and
10:00just a very small step. The war is not escalating. But the world is facing the brunt of Trump tariffs
10:06and Trump wars.
10:07Okay, since we're putting out those numbers, Pranay, I'll just come to you in a bit. But Alec Tyson,
10:13senior vice president of lead pollster Ipsos US public affairs is with us on this broadcast. Alec,
10:18good morning. Thank you for your time and for joining us here on India today. What do you make
10:23for all of the, you know, opinion polls that are coming in and the projections? Alec,
10:27are you in line with that? Do you believe that Democrats have the edge here?
10:31Yeah, the polling shows clear signals to support the Democratic Party. And the chart you have on the
10:36screen is an important part of the story. We've really seen a change in President Trump's approval
10:40rating just in the last six months. For much of his term, he was in the low to mid 40s
10:44in approval.
10:45Around the Iran war, higher gas prices, real pressure on affordability. We saw the president's
10:51ratings move down into the 30s. And that's how that's changed how Americans think about this
10:56midterm landscape. They've moved away from the Republican Party on some issues
11:00and towards the Democratic Party, particularly on the issue of the economy.
11:05Do you think that the number one issue on which Americans are voting today is
11:08on the economy, on inflation? Absolutely. But I think the economy is
11:14a very broad term. It's much more specific and in some ways personal for Americans. They've been
11:19living through high prices and the affordability pressure for many years. And two years ago,
11:24those same issues helped power President Trump to a presidential election victory. But as time has gone
11:30by, the winds have changed and Americans now increasingly direct their economic frustration
11:34towards the president. So absolutely, it's the economy, but it's very personal. It's prices,
11:38it's affordability. It's a sense that it's hard to get ahead in this country today.
11:43Alec, just one more question also, which is on a point that Gaurav made,
11:47that it's quite common for the incumbent to lose these midterms.
11:50So are we reading way into this than we should?
11:54Well, it is common for the incumbent to lose seats in the House of Representatives. And polls
11:58suggest Democrats will have a very strong night in the House of Representatives. But the Senate is
12:02a very different map. We have states in play tonight, like Texas and Kansas, that historically have been
12:08very Republican in their voting behavior. So it's only in a very strong Democratic environment that we're
12:13even talking about those states. So yes, Democrats or the party out of the White House typically
12:18gain seats in the midterms. But this cycle seems to be different in that some of the states we're
12:22talking about in the Senate would only be in play in a very, very strong Democratic year. And we'll know
12:27soon enough.
12:29Pranay, I'll bring you in also on this conversation. You know, with the way the battle is shaping up right
12:34now,
12:35yes, the Democrats are ahead. But why is this so crucial for Trump as well? It's a very polarized America
12:41right now.
12:42And I think there's a clear divide as far as political ideologies go in America currently.
12:47Why is it important for Trump to win this midterm?
12:50Because as President Donald Trump himself said, that there is a possibility of his own impeachment. And
12:56if Democrats gain the majority in both Senate and House, then there are high probability that there are
13:01possibilities. And in fact, you know, most of his legislatures, most of his, you know, appointments,
13:07they will get stuck. They'll get the power of subpoena. They will get, you know, enormous power to
13:13control Trump administration. And right now, you know, Trump, you know, how President Donald Trump
13:17is executing his policies. He doesn't want that kind of a control. In fact, he was fortunate enough
13:23to get the majority, both in White House, in Senate and in Congress. But within two years,
13:28now we are at a situation where if you see the statistics of early voting, Democrats are 17 percent
13:34ahead of Republicans. So they have voted over 23 million votes as compared to the 17 million votes
13:41from Republican. And most of the, you know, if you see the important factor is the Gen Z young voters
13:46of Republicans. They are quite disenchanted. They are not coming out in big numbers. And why are,
13:53why the situation is so? Because somewhere President Donald Trump has gone back on his old promises,
13:58electoral promises were to bring down prices of bread, egg, bacon down, not to start any other war.
14:05But the current situation of American economy is that the prices are high, the gas and diesel prices
14:10are high, which has its own cascading effect. And America, unfortunately, is in the middle of a war.
14:17You know, Rohit, I'm curious to know, there's so much talk of Gen Z in India and so many other
14:22countries. What's the mood of Gen Z in America?
14:26Well, they have. In fact, you know, that was one of the biggest stories. That was the fact that
14:30the Republicans are also losing support from 18 to 24 year old. And why? Because again,
14:36the problems that President Donald Trump told them he was going to solve about jobs, about economy,
14:42about affordability, people can't even be, they're not able to rent apartments in cities. So you're
14:48talking about people forget about buying houses. That's a different beast altogether. They can't even rent
14:53apartments in cities, in universities. So apparently, you know, I mean, we talk about all these things
15:00about, you know, incumbents having a bad time at midterms and all that. All of that is true.
15:05But the most important thing is actually that President Trump two years ago wanted to solve
15:10the exact problems that the Democrats are fighting this election on affordability. I mean,
15:16the biggest thing, the rising prices across the United States and his own voter base. I mean,
15:22this is something that hasn't, you know, we never thought this would happen. He had to go seven
15:27times in the last 11 days to Texas. That's a red state to campaign. That is how bad the internal
15:34polling has been for Republicans. And it is only because of the basic issue. We're not talking about
15:39any trans issue. We're not talking about any gender issues on this election. It is about about
15:44can Americans afford basic things. And that is what the Democrats are fighting selection on,
15:50something that President Trump thought he would resolve in two years. He hasn't been able to. And
15:55this is where the mandate is going to be. It is about people voicing their opposition to the existing
16:00policies of this administration. You know, Alec, just on that particular point that, you know,
16:05of the midterms, the constant conversation is surrounding Trump, you know, opposition to Trump,
16:11support for Trump, anger against Trump, that I tend to wonder that for the Democrats to flip their
16:16seats, do they have the candidates? Do they have the faces? Do they have their strategy right? Or is it
16:21just an anti-Trump vote? Well, I think there's some truth to both perspectives, is that president,
16:27both for and against, is motivating a lot of voters. At the same time, the Democratic Party brand,
16:32it could be better. It could be worse. Many folks are attracted to some of the energy of the
16:36Democratic Party today. But it's not the case that they're widely viewed or widely viewed favorably.
16:41So it's a little bit of both here, where in part, it's a reaction to the Trump administration for
16:45some. In other cases, it reflects real enthusiasm for some of the candidates and campaigns Democrats
16:50have run around the country. And I think that's particularly true in the Senate, where candidate
16:54quality really matters. I'll mention Kansas again, a place where it's competitive for the Democrats,
16:59where I think a year ago, many would be very, very doubtful of that. So candidate quality,
17:04the Democratic Party brand, absolutely motivating some voters. But for a wide swath of voters,
17:09yes, it is about their views of the president and the current administration.
17:14I also... Yeah, Gaurav.
17:17The Democrats, virtually a hit-picket for them in places like Michigan, for example. You know,
17:23there's a Muslim candidate, Abdul Al-Sayed, and President Trump said words to the effect that if
17:30he's elected, you'll have to put metal detectors in the Senate. And the Congresswoman, a Democrat,
17:36has endorsed a Republican candidate just 48 hours before polling. So, you know, this is where the
17:42Democrats who are on the way, they're cruising ahead. But suddenly, you know, they've hit some
17:48headwinds here in Michigan, for example. But when you look at these projections,
17:51Gita, do you think that there's room for any surprises still? That, you know, there is a
17:55possibility of the Republicans still scraping through, when all of the projections seem to
17:59be giving the Democrats, you know, the edge? Well, these are elections, Akshita. There's always room
18:04for surprises. But I don't think that it's going to go any or very different from where it stands
18:13right now, with all the numbers, the polls, the exit polls that will happen soon after. All of that,
18:22we'll see, have the same messaging. There is, and look, Akshita, it's not just people, just people in
18:29America. Look at the Indian Americans, the Indian American community. I was speaking to somebody on
18:35the ground, Milan Vashnav, actually, of course, from Carnegie. And they've done an entire survey
18:40on Indian Americans who have shifted from voting Democrats this time, sorry, voting Republicans
18:47this time, to going back to voting Democrats, because they've moved from Democrats to Republican,
18:53very disappointed in H-1B, in birthright citizenship, in the work visa rules, so on and so forth.
19:01And the kind of hatred towards Hindus and Indians in America. Yes, and so they're going back.
19:06And Milind said it very significantly. I think you should also factor in a $5,000 offer, you know,
19:10Trump dividend. Yeah, and the $5,000 offer. So that's a quite lucrative thing.
19:14So he said, explain to me how important is it? What he said was that they're moving back to Democrats,
19:22not because they do not like Republicans. They could very well remain Republican during the
19:26presidential election. But this time around, it's again, a negative voting pattern against the
19:33Republican in the midterm, sending out a very clear message that the community is not happy.
19:38Now, how important, but Geeta, also just a quick follow up, how important is the Indian American
19:42vote here? What are the numbers that we're looking at? We're looking at significantly large numbers
19:46and concentrated in certain states. But beyond that, look, they're influencers, they're huge money.
19:56They have a huge, they're huge in the Bay Area on the on the West Coast. So yes, they are,
20:05they actually make a difference in certain states. They might not be the redneck states,
20:11but they do make a difference in certain states. They do have a lot of influence and a lot of
20:16money.
20:17And they're actually very unhappy with what has happened. Because these were not the promises on
20:22which Trump came to power. He actually spoke a very different language when he was campaigning.
20:28And the decisions that have been taken are very different from what he said. Apart from, and I'm not
20:33saying, see, there's a difference here. His promises and how he spoke about India is very different from
20:41how what he said about his domestic policies and rules. So what he's done internally has impacted
20:49Indian Americans. He always promised tough tariff laws and policies, and he's delivered on them.
20:55That has to do with India. So make a difference and a distinction between Indian Americans and policies
21:00there, which have disappointed the Indian Americans there, and why India could be upset or how India is
21:07going to look at these elections and move forward. Because Prime Minister Modi is going to go into G20
21:12just after the midterms. So there are Indian American candidates, there are Indian Americans,
21:17you know, so for example, Vivek Ramaswamy, he wants to be the governor. Yeah, that's gubernatorial.
21:25Yeah. So, you know, they're contesting elections, because those elections are also happening.
21:33What's extremely interesting is Indian Americans are increasingly playing a bigger role,
21:38a more important role, whether it's to be the attorney general, whether it's as candidates,
21:42whether it's making an influence or making an impact on elections. But Trump policies,
21:47even internally, are impacting, you know, Indian Americans. And as Geeta rightly pointed out,
21:53there are many who say they may shift Democrat for these elections, because the kind of hate
21:58towards Indian Americans, minorities, that's also impacting them. If I may add, traditionally,
22:04Indian Americans have been considered as Democrats, you know, pro-Democrats. Yes.
22:08Offaly during Trump's first tenure, there was a shift. And I think that was also largely to do with
22:14President Donald Trump's approach towards India, friendship towards India, and I think which has taken a
22:19attempt in the last two years. And that is the reason why there is, why we are seeing this kind
22:24of shift and see the number of Democrat candidates from, you know, from Suha Subramaniam to, you know,
22:30Nikita as mayor candidate for Los Angeles. There are many candidates from the Republican Party and
22:37Democrats have pitched Indian Americans. And see the campaign material also, they are trying to,
22:42like, you know, taunt and tease them that, you know, look, this is how you have voted and this is
22:47what you have trusted on Trump. And this is what he has delivered. The only Indian American in this
22:53conversation, Rohit, is also wanting to make a point. He's put his hand up. Rohit, go ahead.
22:58Well, two things, you know, the hate against Indian Americans, the rise of hate against Indian Americans.
23:03I have it on a good source that Ken Paxton, who had posted so many hateful messages,
23:09attended a BAPS event. He went to a temple two days ago. Even he had to go to a temple
23:16because
23:17the race is so close in the state of Texas. It would be historic if he loses that election in
23:24Texas, the Senate race in Texas against James Tallarico. So important enough, you know,
23:30Indian Americans, important enough to make their point, important enough to be courted in a close
23:35election this year, not only in Texas. We're talking about, I think God was making a point
23:40about Michigan, the Senate seat in Michigan. Abdullah al-Sayed has said some things really,
23:45really inflammatory against Hindu Americans, too, in the past. So what happens over there?
23:50You had the Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who had a very brutal campaign against Abdullah al-Sayed,
23:57going back and then endorsing the Republican candidate. In fact, she went on CNN
24:01four days ago and talked about how Indian Americans do not want to vote for Abdul al-Sayed.
24:07And Mike Rogers has been to a temple three times in the last month. So this tells you that there
24:13is
24:13a quoting of the Indian American voters in Texas, in Michigan. And you talk about Virginia, you talk
24:17about Swastu Rubin, who's a Democrat. We've seen him campaign with other American, Caucasian,
24:23African American people at the temple. So everybody understands that this, this, some of these states,
24:29some of these swing states, some of these swing states would be decided by razor-thin margins.
24:34And that's where the Indian American voters play a huge role. And then to the other part that
24:39Geeta was talking about, the funding. A lot of Indian Americans who've been funding very key races
24:44across the America. And some people that I've talked to, they have, they are funding a Republican
24:51in Michigan and a Democrat in Texas, because they want to send a point across to the American
24:56politicians that such hate should not be tolerated. And we will support whoever stands with us.
25:03So in Michigan, they want to stand for Mike Rogers. In Texas, they want to be with James Tolerico.
25:10Okay. Alec, I'd love your perspective on this, of how much of the Indian American vote has actually
25:16been focused on in these midterms by several of these candidates?
25:20Yeah, it's an important community in the United States. And I think a point that was made a minute
25:25ago really captured it. We really have seen a shift across many communities over the last two years.
25:30President Trump did draw in a broader coalition two, two years ago. And whether you're talking
25:34about Indian Americans or maybe Hispanic or Latino Americans, we've seen that shift. And I think that
25:40in some ways helps explain what we're talking about is a number of groups, Indian Americans, but also other
25:45groups have moved towards the Democratic Party or become a little bit more skeptical of the president.
25:49And so that's how we get to where we are tonight, which is expecting or looking for a strong Democratic
25:55night in the House of Representatives. So these patterns, they move together. And when they move
25:59together across all of the communities and groups in the United States, that's when you see a big shift
26:03in an election like the one that we'll have today. Okay, interesting. We've spoken about the
26:08Indian American factor here. We'll speak about the impact on India, what these results will mean
26:14for India in just a bit. I just want to bring it once again to the core of these midterms
26:17and what really
26:18we're going to be seeing the hours ahead as voting has kicked off in most parts of America. What are
26:24Americans voting for? They're talking about the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. How many of
26:30these seats are up for grabs? What will it take for the Democrats to be able to get the edge?
26:35Let's break down
26:35all of the numbers for you as well. Remember that the House of Representatives with 435 seats,
26:41all 435 seats essentially are up for grabs. Whereas for the Senate, it's a little different.
26:46There are 100 seats in the Senate, but there's about one third, 35 seats that there is polling on
26:51right now. At this point, if you look at the House of Representatives, and I repeat those numbers,
26:56435 House of Representatives versus 100 in the Senate. And I will highlight that 435 of the House,
27:03all up for grabs versus just about 35 of the 100 in the Senate. Let me show you what it
27:08currently looks
27:09like. Is it blue? Is it red? Well, as far as the House of Representatives go, the members are
27:15elected every two years. In the Senate, senators have six-year terms, which is why that difference,
27:20that all 435 seats are up for grabs in the House, whereas in the Senate, it's only a handful of
27:25them.
27:25Because there are six-year terms, it varies a bit for the senators. Now, besides this, also,
27:31the House of Representatives is crucial. Why? Controls loss, spending, and also impeachment.
27:38All probes, impeachment probes, all of that, the House has to give its nod for. Here's where
27:43Donald Trump getting the support of the House of Representatives is crucial, because he believes
27:47otherwise it will trigger more impeachment trials. As far as the Senate goes, votes on legislations,
27:52it confirms president nominations. Legislation crucial there for Donald Trump. If he wants to get some of
27:59his moves and his decisions forward, he's going to need the support of the Senate.
28:05And so these are essentially all the details you need to know about the House of Representatives and
28:09the Senate. Let me show you the numbers and what they look like right now. This is in,
28:15in fact, the House of Representatives. Remember the number of 435? If you look at it right now,
28:20Republicans have 280 versus Democrats at 214. All 435 seats up for grabs. Right now,
28:28Republicans hold the House of Representatives with just about four seats ahead of the Democrats.
28:35As far as the Senate goes, what's the situation there? Well, similar once again, there too is
28:39the Republicans who are ahead. The Democrats do have some independent support as well in the Senate.
28:44But again, it's not 100 seats up for grabs in the Senate. It's a little different for the Senate,
28:50where you have only 35 seats. But even there, if the Democrats manage, they can go ahead and flip
28:55the Senate as well. That's what they hope to do, that the House and Senate comes under their control.
29:00Right now, it's with the Republicans. Let's now get you a detailed report also on exactly how these
29:06midterms work. And these are the numbers on the Senate that I was mentioning earlier in the midterm
29:13battle currently for the Senate. The Republicans have 53. The Democrats have 47. And that is including
29:19a few independents as well. The Democrats need four to flip the Senate as well. Remember that
29:24this is for the 100-seat Senate. 35 up for grabs right now. Here's a detailed report of how the
29:30U.S. midterms work. The midterms of the United States is a crucial electoral litmus test for the
29:43incumbent president. Held in the middle of each four-year presidential term, the midterms by
29:48definition do not involve the president. But for anyone who thinks they lack drama or importance this
29:55year, consider these two statistics. More than 100 million people likely will cast ballots in this
30:03year's midterm voting. If turnout is anything like the previous midterm in 2022, that's a very important
30:10number to decade the date of Capitol Hill. As of 12th October, a record 3.8 billion dollars had been
30:18spent on political advertisements. Top spending is in battleground U.S. Senate races in Texas, Ohio and
30:26Michigan, according to AdImpact tracking the activities. Still, the midterms generally attract fewer
30:34voters than the higher profile presidential races. To put it in perspective, more than 155 million votes
30:42were cast in the 2024 presidential election. Yet, it is important as it decides who gains control over
30:51the Congress, the Democrats or the Republicans. Midterm elections were designed by the founders
30:59creating the Constitution to give a mid-presidential term measurement or temperature of how the people felt
31:07about the president's performance. For many years, not much happened. But then mid-19th century, midterm elections
31:17became very important and often an opportunity for major change. I suspect that's what we're going to have
31:24this year. The U.S. Congress is made up of two legislative bodies. Every two years, all 435 seats in
31:32the House of
31:33Representatives, which is the lower chamber, are up for election. Meanwhile, in the 100-seat Senate, about
31:40one-third of the members face election every six years. 2026 midterms is very crucial as plenty is at stake,
31:48as Democrats try to win majority control of the U.S. Congress. At present, Republicans hold a 218 to 214
31:57majority majority in the House. There are two vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans.
32:03Democrats must win a net gain of four seats to win control.
32:10Democrats are also fighting to win the Senate. Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate.
32:17They must net four additional seats to get control.
32:2110 races, including those in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, and Georgia, could decide the outcome.
32:30Bureau Report, India Today.
32:37So let's get you the latest images that's coming in of voting in different pockets of America.
32:42Here in India, when we speak of elections, we put a great deal of focus on the voter turnout,
32:47and then read into that to understand which way the result could actually go. I mean,
32:51looking at that, it's quite disappointing when you compare it to India's elections,
32:55where you'll see long queues outside the polling booths. But Geeta, this is the normal in America.
33:00This is absolutely normal, Akshay. This is how it looks. Also, because in India, you have new voting
33:08opens and then it shuts at a given time. In America, you have early mail-in votes. You have early
33:15voting.
33:17So there are many centers that would have opened up yesterday.
33:21And people go at their own time and pace and vote and leave. So you don't have long queues,
33:28waiting, trying to say, OK, I'll go in the morning and stand in queue. And also the population,
33:34of course, is a difference. But because there are so many ways of voting, you don't see long queues.
33:39And yes, that's how it looks, voting in America. Very, very different from really how the voting
33:45takes place in India. And those images are also very different from what we're used to,
33:49where we look at the long queues and kind of draw our analysis of whether that's a good sign or
33:54a bad
33:54sign for the incumbent. Rohit, do those discussions happen in America as well? The voter turnout equals
33:59good news or bad news for the incumbent? Rohit, I think you're on mute.
34:10OK, I'm so sorry. Apologies.
34:12Well, the three ways in which America votes, as Geeta was pointing out, the mail-in ballots,
34:16we've seen 54 billion of those already votes being casted using that and early voting centers. Some
34:21of them opened two weeks ago. The important thing, it's already, it's only 8 a.m. in the East Coast.
34:27And you will see those queues, like Sharan, you were talking about, late in the night. A lot of
34:31people go to work, they leave their work, and you'll see, and you'll see a lot of people in queue
34:36standing late in the night to be able to cast their votes. But I'll add one quick bit here.
34:41I've been at the center for an hour and a half. The most number of voters I've seen are the
34:46women
34:46voters, the suburban women voters that actually shift these races towards Democrats. That's a
34:52quick observation from the ground here in Washington, D.C. OK, the women vote, crucial,
34:58I'm sure, in America, as it is in India. But let me just for a moment focus really on what
35:03this particular midterm election means for India. Pranay, there's been a lot of talk about whether
35:08Trump is good or bad for India. And so obviously, if there is a referendum in favor of him or
35:13against
35:14him, that's something that will affect India as well. Largely, if you see the scheme of things
35:19for Trump administration. If President Donald Trump loses both House and Senate, then there should be a
35:25different ballgame for him. And to take forward his policy, then he should be looking more forward,
35:30or he should be consolidating friends. And you know, in current scenario, he's left with few
35:36friends. So that's why we may see a certain shift. We have seen certain fillers in recent weeks,
35:43where President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Modi as his great friend, given fillers that,
35:48you know, there will be an early conclusion of India-U.S. bilateral trade agreement. There could be
35:53some concessions. Even on Lindsey Graham Act, there is a concession offered towards India. India is a big
36:00market, both in terms of the defense products, in terms of, you know, trade between India and United
36:06States. And both Trump administration and Prime Minister Modi's administration has set a very ambitious
36:11target of $500 billion bilateral trade in the next five years. So even in those terms, it is going to
36:17be
36:17important. But we may have to see, you know, how things will traverse, because, you know, we are
36:22talking about, you know, certain scenarios where the impeachment possibility is there. But to remove
36:26a president, one need to have 67, you know, Senate members. That is going to be a very difficult number,
36:33even for Democrats to pull out. And that remains a reality. So we have to find, we have to see,
36:39because this is not for the first time any president would become lame duck. In fact, during his previous
36:45tenure, President Donald Trump lost House majority by 41 seats in 2018. But still, he continued. But
36:54this is a different ballgame, just because personal stakes are involved. President Donald Trump has
36:59pursued very different policies this time. And we have to see, you know, how he takes forward those
37:06policies after losing control, because he himself has said that this election is going to be very
37:11important. And in fact, the Trump dividend, I mentioned, he said that if we retains the Republican
37:18majority in House and Senate, then I'm going to give Trump dividend of $5,000 per adult.
37:25You know, I'll also highlight here, what we're going to talk about is also the kind of funding that
37:30has been pumped into these midterms. Number one in that spot, by the way, is Elon Musk at,
37:35I think, $400 plus million or something like that, that he's pumped in to this midterm. So very,
37:41very clear, once again, of how American politics is also dominated a whole lot by these business
37:47leaders, by corporates, who have a big say in what happens next in these elections as well.
37:53But let me just put the focus on the main contenders here. I know everyone's been spotlighting one face,
37:59and that's of Donald Trump. But beyond that, which are the battles to watch out for? Who are the faces
38:04in this particular midterm election from Texas to Michigan? These are the fights, the faces to watch out for.
38:17The US midterm elections act as a vital check on executive authority as they take place two years
38:23into a president's four-year term. Historically, the president's party often faces significant headwinds.
38:30If the opposing party gains control of either chamber, they can block legislation, alter foreign policy
38:36funding and launch congressional investigations, effectively reshaping how the US operates
38:42internationally. This year, the central issues are the rising cost of living, immigration and
38:48President Trump's approval ratings. Democrats argue that voters want change. Republicans say
38:55they are best placed to protect economic security and advance the president's agenda.
39:01It's going to be interesting to see what happens because the Democrats have a very good chance to
39:06take the House of Representatives. They have a fair to good chance to take the US Senate, which no one
39:12believed was possible in the beginning. Only a third of the seats are up and they're overwhelmingly
39:17in Republican states. But Trump's performance has been so bad and his ratings are so low, close to 30 percent
39:26approving of his job performance, that both houses might well end up in Democratic control.
39:34There's just one problem. Donald Trump has no problem ignoring the Constitution,
39:41the statutes and the Congress, whatever he pleases.
39:44This cycle, political strategists are watching key battlegrounds very closely.
39:51In North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper faces Republican Michael Watley
39:56for an open seat. In Texas, Democrat James Tallarico is challenging Trump-backed Attorney General
40:04Ken Paxton in a contest that has turned a traditionally Republican state into a major battleground.
40:10In Ohio, former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is attempting a comeback against Republican John
40:16Houston. Other key contenders include Maine's long-serving Republican Senator Susan Collins facing
40:22Democrat Troy Jackson, Alaska's Republican Senator Daniel Sullivan challenged by former Congresswoman
40:29Mary Peltola, and in Michigan Republican Mike Rogers against progressive Democrat Abdulal
40:35Saeed. With early voting already underway, both parties are concentrating resources on a small
40:42number of competitive states. The results on November 3rd will send a powerful signal about the direction of
40:49American politics and could alter the balance of power in Washington for the remainder of Trump's term.
40:55For global observers, the stakes could not be higher. A shift in congressional power can redefine American
41:03trade strategies, international climate commitments and foreign defense aid. Bureau Report, India Today.
41:15The foreign funding fight continuing as Rahul Gandhi is once again taken to social media to question
41:23Prime Minister Modi and call him for an open debate, as he puts it. This comes a day after Rahul
41:30Gandhi
41:30yesterday had spoken about Prime Minister Modi's comment or foreign plot suggesting there was foreign elements
41:36that ensured that Prime Minister Modi came to power. And now Rahul Gandhi, once again taking to social media,
41:42has told the Prime Minister, you choose the venue stage and judge. You can even make Mohan Bhagwat the judge.
41:48But let's have a debate on who is anti-national, who has connections with foreign forces and what is the
41:55nature
41:55of those connections. Let's do this as soon as possible. Let the truth come out, let everything be crystal clear.
42:01Rahul Gandhi also on social media saying to Prime Minister Modi, directly addressing him saying,
42:07you've filed defamation cases against me over other matters. I think there are around 45 defamation cases
42:13against me. But on this issue of the debate, on the question of foreign connections, you haven't filed a defamation
42:18case.
42:18We'll discuss that.
42:22I have given you a challenge. You say that the opposition is a country. On any stage.
42:35You have seen the right place. Don't debate me. Who is the country, who is the connection of the international
42:45forces?
42:48What is the connection of the state? Don't worry. Don't worry. We'll be able to find the media.
42:57will be in the country, there will be a table, one side you will sit, one side I will sit,
43:05whoever you want to make judge, give it to Mohan Bhagwat Ji, let's go, and then debate,
43:12we will raise questions on the financial system, on the financial structure, how did the U.S.
43:27Why did the cabinet not tell us, why did the case end of Adani, Epstein, there are so many
43:37things.
43:40That's leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi's message on social media where he's dared the
43:45prime minister to a debate once again.