NPR | Wednesday, November 4, 2026 
The world is reacting to the Democrats’ sweeping midterm elections victory

One color dominates international headlines about the U.S. midterm election results. French newspaper Libération called the Democrats’ win “une vague bleue,” or blue wave, Britain’s Daily Mail dubbed it a “historic blue tsunami,” and The Times of India’s headline ran “midterm blues for Trump.” Countries at war were also watching closely, with Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independent’s online headline hopeful: “Democrats seize control of Congress in blow to Trump, potential boost for Ukraine.” Russia had a different take. Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the state-run daily newspaper, suggested the results would in fact be a blow to Ukraine, which has firm support from the European Union. “Brussels, brace yourself. After the Republicans’ defeat, Trump’s wrath will fall on Europe,” read the headline. Iran’s Tehran Times said “Call it Operation Midterms Hammer” — a play on the U.S. military’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes against Iran in June 2025. Since the United States and Israel renewed their war against Iran this February, the fallout has pushed up the price of oil and other goods, becoming a major election campaign issue. The article ran a cartoon of a man slamming a mini-Trump with a hammer in a game of whack-a-mole. In Israel, which just held its own parliamentary elections last week, headlines focused on what the Democrats’ victory means for the U.S. support of the Jewish state and its war in Gaza. The Times of Israel ran a headline focusing on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s triumph in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan, saying “Anti-Israel El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, pledges no money for ‘apartheid, genocide.'” A headline in Israel’s Haaretz read: “Abdul El-Sayed Shows Opposition to Israel Is No Barrier to Winning Battleground States.” Newspapers in U.S. neighbors Canada and Mexico, meanwhile, noted the results were a rebuke and setback for Trump…Read more