Next US president might get unusual welcome to White House - here's why

The next US leader might need to get ready for a rare welcome gift: a non-cooperative Congress. Its been roughly 35 years (since George H.W. Bush) when any new president started their job without their party controlling both chambers

Most presidents enjoy full party backing in Congress at first‚ which helps push their main ideas thru; however the 2024 winner – either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump – might face a different story. The Senate looks set to shift red while the House remains up-in-air (making both candidates worried about their day-one position)

A split Congress means the next commander-in-chief would need to think smaller: focusing on two-party deals and using presidential orders to get things done. For Harris‚ the dream of a big democrat win like Obama or Biden got seems far away; while Trump might not get the same full backing he had about 7 years ago when he made those tax-cuts happen

Looking at past examples‚ keeping Congress on your side isnt easy – just ask any president since Jimmy Carter. He was the last one (nearly half-a-century ago) who kept both House and Senate thru his whole term; most others lost control during mid-terms which always seems to hurt the presidentʼs party