In the midterm elections on Tuesday, Donald Trump failed to rally the voters he had persuaded to vote for him two years earlier.
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In the 2026 midterm elections, the Democratic Party secured a resounding victory, winning a majority in both houses of Congress. Among the Swiss living in the United States, relief is the prevailing sentiment. But beyond the election result, accounts highlight a sense of weariness with the cost of living, political polarisation and Trumpism.
“I felt a sense of hope for the first time in years. It’s a feeling that seems almost foreign these days,” says Rose Witschi, who lives in the state of Washington.
In the midterm elections on November 3, the Democrats regained control of Congress, making several inroads into Republican strongholds in the process. “When states like Texas or Kansas swing the other way, it’s no longer just a question of political affiliation. It’s a very clear message sent by voters from all walks of life,” says Claude Koehl in California.
The reactions gathered by Swissinfo are largely along the same lines. Most of the Swiss people interviewed welcome the shift in Congress towards the Democrats. This trend comes as no surprise, as Swiss citizens living abroad generally hold relatively progressive views.
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Relief
Beyond partisan considerations, the community as a whole expresses a profound sense of relief from the political tension that has built up since Donald Trump returned to lead the country in 2024.
“The Democrats’ big win really made me smile and lifted a huge weight off my shoulders,” says Roland Pabst.
For some, the feeling is even stronger. “I’ve got tears in my eyes, I’m so happy,” says Susanne Lovering.
Marie-Claude Fisher, who lives in California, describes the last two years as “a succession of chaos and disillusionment”. The day after the vote, she woke up “with an immense sense of relief and enthusiasm”.
In Seattle, Brenda Loew believes the election has “restored [her] faith in the American people and in democracy”, while Marc Gavin hopes it marks the end of “a very dark and dangerous period for the United States”.
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A vote of no confidence in Trump
Aside from the relief felt, the election appears above all as a rebuke of the current Republican president.
“The results constitute a spectacular rejection of Trump,” according to Danièle Favre-Panayotatos, in New York State. This view is shared beyond the Democratic electorate. Dennis Morelli, a conservative and member of the Republican Party, believes that Trump “has done more harm to the United States than any president in [my] 87 years of life”.
Concerns have also been raised about the rule of law and the functioning of institutions. “I want an America where no one is above the law,” sums up Michael H. Gaedeke-Sartori.
For Fabien Hug, the president has also lost the trust of part of his support base: “Trump has betrayed his electorate and made some very serious mistakes.”
A vote on purchasing power
Several Swiss Abroad directly link the rejection of Donald Trump to the economic difficulties faced by part of the population.
“Americans are angry,” says C.B.*. “The price of petrol is a huge strain on all of our budgets,” emphasises Claude Koehl.
In Minnesota, Karin Stricker describes a middle class under pressure: “People are struggling to find affordable housing, to pay for their health insurance and sometimes even their weekly shop.”
Rose Witschi echoes this sentiment, lamenting a system in which “a medical emergency forces someone to choose between going into debt and postponing their treatment”.
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Deep polarisation
Some voices express concern about the deep polarisation of the country.
In Florida, Markus Greb describes the results as “terrible” and sees them as “a new stage in the decline of the United States”.
Others express a more nuanced scepticism. Politically independent after leaving the Republican Party when Donald Trump took office, C.B. welcomes the setback but says he fears the country has turned towards “another form of extremism, this time on the left”. “We must learn to govern without systematically pitting one extreme against the other,” he adds.
Sebastian Braun, who lives in Iowa, also believes that the Democrats would be wrong to overestimate the significance of their victory. “It wasn’t a vote for the Democrats,” he asserts. In his view, the electorate primarily backed candidates “who embody the values that citizens expect from their representatives”.
Reconciling a fractured country
Following the surprise results, the Swiss community in the United States is emphasising the need to bridge political divides.
Roland Pabst urges the Democrats to “learn something from Switzerland: compromise”. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, Guido Lambelet calls for “accepting [our] differences and working for the benefit of the entire population”.
Among conservatives, there is a consensus on accepting the election result. “The people have voted and that choice must be respected. That is what democracy is all about,” emphasises Chris Stern.
Edited by Pauline Turuban. Translated from French, sub-edited by ts
*Name known to Swissinfo
