Donald Trump has ended the Democratic streak in the White House by being elected as the first Republican president in eight years. With both the House of Representatives and the Senate consisting of primarily Republicans, Congress will no longer be fighting against a Democratic president.
This is the second time in the past eighty-four years that the entirety of Congress and the White House have been controlled by the Republican Party.
According to The New York Times:
"Mr. Trump’s victory provides what Republicans have been seeking for a decade: unified control of the government and a chance to pursue a conservative agenda, transforming them from the 'party of no' into a party that can enact significant legislation."
The partisan similarities could act as a hopeful common ground, spurring on members of Congress to work more diligently in actively representing their districts in hopes of re-election, rather than expending all of their efforts in fighting against the Oval Office. This is the moment the GOP has been preparing for, and they will do their best to capitalize on their political control.
However, if this bond falls short, it could mean continued adversity between the president and Congress. The Los Angeles Times admitted that Trump can be a bit of a wild card, stating that:
"Trump has a breathtaking record of mendacity and flip-flops — he was pro-choice before he was antiabortion, for the Iraq war before he was against it, for an increase in the federal minimum wage before he objected to it — which makes it hard to predict how he will actually govern."
The unpredictability of Trump and how he will act as president of the United States is becoming a growing concern as his inauguration rapidly approaches. It is unclear if Trump will diverge from the policy positions of his party in any significant ways or if he will instead defer more to the practiced political expertise of those within his party. Initial signs point to the latter.
Only time will tell if the Republican bond will be enough to keep tensions down between the House, Senate, and presidential-elect in the coming years.