Opinion: New shadow president can play Trump
The gist
A Guardian opinion piece says Stephen Miller's new position makes him 'shadow president to an ailing 80-year-old'.
The column argues Democrats see no reasoning with Trump in his lame duck period.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026USA Today reports on Trump's midterm reckoning; Marist Institute for Public Opinion director Lee Miringoff says Trump is 'casting a long shadow over the midterm elections.'
- Nov 4, 2026Axios reports Vice President Vance stepped out of Trump's shadow, seizing on the GOP's midterm catastrophe to claim MAGA as his own.
- Nov 5, 2026Axios reports Vance's 600-word postmortem on X blamed Trump's Iran campaign for Republicans' historic collapse, catching some in the White House by surprise.
Key terms
- lame duck period
- The time when an outgoing elected official, whose successor has already been chosen, still holds office with reduced influence.
- midterm collapse
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- MAGA
- Political slogan and movement associated with Donald Trump's campaigns and his political base.
Source: Wikipedia