The Observer view on Donald Trump being at bay after the midterms | Observer editorial
(The Guardian North Korea)

The results of the elections will send him in search of a spectacular distraction from his lossesAir Force One landed in France on Friday bearing a wounded president. Donald Trump has reacted to the loss of the House of Representatives to the Democrats with characteristic petulance, lashing out at journalists, especially African American female reporters. The gloves are off - they were only half-on anyway - and what lies beneath is as ugly as anything we could have imagined.The insults and irritation belie his show of nonchalance after Tuesday´s midterm elections. Trump has been knocked back. Republicans no longer control all branches of government and the Democrats have established a bridgehead from which to harry him, demanding his mysterious tax returns and preventing him from burying the investigation into his campaign´s ties to the Kremlin. For a president who was never comfortable with the separation of powers, Tuesday was a nightmare. Trump´s reflexive response was to claim the defeated Republicans had made the mistake of being disloyal to him. It was a typically Trumpian reaction, self-absorbed and false. Out of the 75 Republicans he endorsed in congressional contests, only 21 won their races. In contrast, Barack Obama endorsed 74 Democrats, of whom 39 emerged as winners. On the whole, siding with the president was not a winning ticket. Related: Trump had central role in hush money payments to women - report Continue reading...