A Commentary by John Eagleton | November 7, 2026
Well, America, we’ve just had a midterm election.
And apparently, somebody forgot to tell the White House.
The Republicans suffered a devastating defeat. Democrats took control of Congress. Voters went to the polls and delivered a message that was about as subtle as a brick through a windshield.
And what did Donald Trump do?
He appointed Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff.
Stephen Miller!
Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Stephen Miller, he’s been one of the principal architects of Trump’s immigration policies. He’s been a driving force behind the administration’s aggressive approach to executive power.
And he’s not exactly known for reaching across the aisle.
Stephen Miller reaching across the aisle would be like a porcupine offering free hugs.
But here’s where this gets really interesting.
Donald Trump also announced that he doesn’t anticipate having any trouble working with Democrats.
Really?
Donald, you just hired Stephen Miller!
That’s like announcing you’re opening a vegetarian restaurant and hiring a butcher as your executive chef.
Something doesn’t add up here.
Now, I want to talk about something more important than Donald Trump or Stephen Miller.
I want to talk about what just happened in America.
Millions of citizens participated in an election. They evaluated the direction of their government, considered the candidates, and voted.
The result was a substantial change in congressional power.
That’s how our constitutional system works.
The president doesn’t have to agree with the election results politically. He doesn’t have to abandon every policy he believes in.
But he does have to operate within a government where Congress has independent constitutional authority.
And that’s where things could get very interesting over the next two years.
Because Donald Trump has two choices.
He can negotiate with Congress, find areas of agreement, and attempt to pass legislation.
Or he can continue relying heavily on executive orders and administrative actions.
Of course, he can also do both.
But there’s a problem with relying exclusively on executive authority.
The president is not Congress.
An executive order isn’t a magic wand.
You can’t just wave a pen and announce that the Constitution has been temporarily suspended for renovations.
Congress controls legislation and appropriations. The courts interpret the law. And the president is responsible for faithfully executing the laws.
That’s the system.
Three branches of government.
Not three branches of Donald Trump.
Now, Stephen Miller has been a central figure in an administration that has repeatedly tested the boundaries of executive authority.
And according to reporting in The New York Times, he has shown little interest in compromising with congressional Democrats.
So here’s my question.
If Trump genuinely wants to work with Democrats, why elevate someone whose record emphasizes confrontation?
Maybe Trump believes Miller can advance his executive agenda while he negotiates with Congress.
That’s possible.
Maybe Trump intends to change direction.
That’s possible, too.
Or maybe we’re about to witness two years of political trench warfare.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of watching Washington fight while the rest of the country tries to get something accomplished.
Because here’s what bothers me about American politics.
We spend billions of dollars electing people to solve problems.
Then we spend the next two years watching them explain why they can’t solve anything.
Healthcare?
Can’t agree.
Housing?
Can’t agree.
Immigration reform?
Can’t agree.
Education?
Can’t agree.
But ask them to appear on television and insult each other?
Suddenly, everybody’s available!
Twenty-four hours a day!
Seven days a week!
We’ve created the world’s most expensive argument.
And the American taxpayer is picking up the check.
Now, I’ve spent the last several months going out and interviewing people.
Not politicians.
Not consultants.
Not professional political commentators.
Ordinary Americans.
Young people. Older people. Republicans. Democrats. Independents.
And something I’ve learned is that people have plenty to say when somebody actually takes the time to listen.
They talk about housing costs.
They talk about jobs.
They talk about healthcare.
They talk about their children and their futures.
They don’t generally begin by asking which political party deserves more power.
They begin by talking about their lives.
And that brings me back to Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.
The election has changed the balance of power in Washington.
That doesn’t settle every policy disagreement, and it doesn’t tell us precisely what every voter wanted.
But it does create a new political reality.
If the president wants major legislation, he will need to find people in Congress willing to work with him.
And if Democrats want to accomplish anything beyond investigations and oversight, they’ll need to decide where cooperation is possible.
Both sides have choices to make.
Now, I can already hear the political consultants.
“John, you don’t understand. Politics is complicated.”
Oh, I understand that politics is complicated.
But you know what else is complicated?
Building a house.
Performing surgery.
Landing an airplane.
Running a business.
And somehow, people manage to accomplish those things every single day.
Imagine if your contractor showed up on Monday and announced:
“Well, John, I’ve decided I don’t like the electrician. So we’re not putting electricity in your house.”
You’d fire him!
But in Washington, we call that a principled disagreement.
And then we re-elect the contractor.
Here’s what I’m going to be watching.
Will Trump actually sit down with Democratic leaders?
Will he offer meaningful compromises?
Will Democrats identify areas where legislation can move forward?
And will Stephen Miller’s new authority encourage negotiation or deepen the confrontation?
Because the answers will tell us a lot more than another round of speeches.
There’s an old expression: Actions speak louder than words.
Well, Donald Trump says he wants to work with Democrats.
His appointment of Stephen Miller sends a different signal.
Which one should we believe?
I think we should wait and see what they actually do.
But I will say this.
The American people deserve a functioning government.
They deserve elected officials who recognize that disagreement doesn’t eliminate the responsibility to govern.
And they deserve a political system in which participation means something beyond showing up every two years and choosing which group gets to argue next.
Because democracy isn’t just about winning an election.
It’s about what happens afterward.
And if the next two years become nothing but executive orders, congressional investigations, lawsuits, and political retaliation, we’re going to have to ask ourselves a serious question.
Are we governing the United States of America, or are we producing the world’s longest-running reality television show?
Because if it’s a reality show, I’ve got a suggestion.
Let’s vote somebody off the island.
Not because they’re a Republican.
Not because they’re a Democrat.
But because they refuse to do the job we hired them to do.
I’m John Eagleton.
And I believe government should spend a little less time fighting over power and a lot more time solving problems.
But first, we show up.
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