'Expect the worst': What results mean for the world | Dominic Waghorn

Trump restrained or Trump rampant? That is the question for the world now as it looks on at his humiliation in the midterms.

There are reasons to expect the worst. Foreign policy as a coping mechanism is a dangerous thing in the hands of the most powerful leader in the world.

But for this president, it may prove hard to resist.

Trump faces a two-year ordeal at the hands of a hostile US Congress. He will struggle to force through any kind of domestic agenda. He will be plagued by investigations, budgetary constraints and political gridlock.

But he will be far less held back on the world stage. The executive or unilateral powers of any US president are more wide-ranging overseas than domestically.

Restrained and harried at home, he will remain free to flex, posture and rampage abroad.

And this time he has no more elections to worry about, with no more left to fight.

Trump has upturned the world in two short years: siding with America's archest foe, Russia, it seems, in the biggest land war in Europe since World War II - and embarking on a reckless war with Iran, damaging both the global economy and America's global standing.

He has cosied up to autocrats, indulged in bizarre imperialist fantasies and picked fights with America's closest allies.

And now, his party has paid a price for all that, not least its impact on rising prices.

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Penance?

Will he now do his penance? Not likely. This is not a president given to contrition or remorse. If his past is any guide, he will only blame others and then, most likely, double down.

Trump knows how to change the conversation and keep himself at the centre of attention. At every stage for the next two years, he knows the best path to do so lies on the world stage.

He may seek more peace deals and more flashy photo opportunities, be they with tyrants like Kim Jong Un or at summits with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

Or he may escalate the war with Iran, told by Israeli allies he still could be the president to bring down its regime. Other conflicts could be started.

Trump will seek to burnish his legacy every which way he can. Who knows what other adventurism this wounded and angry president may be talked into?

Trump's political enemies on Capitol Hill will try to rein him in. He will have other ideas. A titanic struggle beckons. Hold on tight.

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Expect the worst': What results mean for the world | Dominic Waghorn