By Myra Adams – The Hill contributor

MYRA’S COMPLETE ARCHIVE IS HERE

Reposted from The Hill: August 29, 2025

Fourteen months away from Nov. 3, 2026, I feel confident making one prediction: Next year’s midterm election will be the most dramatic in American political history.

That prediction is based on the “D” in Donald Trump standing for “drama.” Meanwhile, a recent poll found 52 percent of Americans believe he is a “dangerous dictator” — a timely topic this week.

In 2023, Trump famously vowed not to be a dictator “except for day one.” Fast forward to Monday, when Trump said, “I am not a dictator,” responding to criticism about deploying militarized National Guard troops for “emergency” crime control in Washington D.C. The president also threatened to send more troops to cities in blue states, despite gubernatorial opposition.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump continued his dictator talk with denials and justifications. Doubling down, he ordered Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to prepare National Guard units for rapid nationwide deployment.

Although Trump’s name won’t appear on the midterm ballot, his authoritarian tendencies will remain a significant issue. The president’s aggressive leadership style — characterized by fear, intimidation and intrusive actions expanding executive power — was detailed in Project 2025, Trump’s second-term manifesto, now almost half implemented.

Project 2025 is based in large part on the controversial “unitary executive theory,” justifying how the president can govern as if “I am the law.” Daily headlines demonstrate how Trump has embraced this theory with little pushback from Republicans in Congress.

All the above set the stage for the midterm and seven specific factors likely to make the 2026 elections the most contentious ever. Read more..