Malaysia’s hope for a shift in US trade policy is unlikely to be realised for some time, experts warn, as the new Democratic-led Congress will face strong opposition from US President Donald Trump in its attempt to reverse some of his tariff measures.
Trump’s Republicans suffered their worst rout in recent times in the US midterm elections on Tuesday, losing control of both Congress and the Senate by wide margins as voters made clear their anger at Trump over surging living costs caused by the Iran war.
The results are expected to force the president to go on the defensive and double down on his controversial tariff regime, with little indication that a Democratic Congress would be of much help to smaller trade partners such as Malaysia, according to experts.