'I think that the Trump presidency has revealed some terrible truths about us all over here': Cork woman reflects on midterms

A Cork woman living in Florida has said that the American midterm election results have the potential to produce a political “earthquake” across the country.

The US president, Donald Trump, has been dealt a blow, after crushing defeats in which his Republican Party was stripped of control of both the Senate and the House.

Cathy Tobin, speaking to The Echo from her Florida base yesterday morning, said people are still coming to terms with the election results. “I think I’ve been in the States here long enough to see the pendulum swing fully from one side over to the other.

“This is really just the beginning, because some really serious work is going to have to go in.

“I think that the Trump presidency has revealed some really terrible truths about us all over here.

“I think a lot of harm has been done, and this is definitely a step in the right direction towards repair. But the repair will have to run very deep and will have to be meaningful.”

Clodagh Harrington, lecturer in American politics at University College Cork, said the midterm elections produced a series of unexpected results.

“I’ve been talking about this now for over a week to various people. What I was saying was the House is definitely going to go Democrat, that is kind of a given, but I’d be much more cautious about the Senate.

“Certain states, like Texas and Kansas, places you never really think would have been anything but Republican, have flipped.

“I’m very curious and interested to see now what happens next. And is this the beginning of the end of the Trump era?”