The year 2026 has begun with a whirlwind of international crises and domestic unrest, all emanating from the White House. With the United States midterm elections looming in the autumn, observers are questioning whether this deliberate turmoil forms part of a calculated electoral strategy by President Donald Trump.
A World in Deliberate Disarray
In less than two weeks of January 2026, the Trump administration has executed a series of stunning interventions. US forces deposed and abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with Trump declaring the US would "run" Venezuela, potentially for years. The administration has also seized oil tankers in the Caribbean, actions labelled illegal by UN experts, and threatened military strikes in Mexico against cartels, directly opposing President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Further afield, the president has suggested intervention in Iran, conducted over 90 bombings on Islamic State targets in Syria, and persistently demanded the acquisition of Greenland, unsettling North Atlantic security. Domestically, the administration has aggressively defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, with Vice-President JD Vance baselessly linking her to a "leftwing network" using "domestic terror techniques".
The Midterm Calculus and "Putting Him on the Ballot"
The timing of this chaos is pivotal. Major polls indicate Democrats are strongly positioned to retake the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms, building on significant Democratic victories in November 2025 state races. In a revealing interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles outlined a break from tradition, stating the administration plans to "put him on the ballot" to mobilise low-propensity Trump voters.
This strategy appears to involve creating a perpetual state of crisis where Trump positions himself as the sole capable navigator. "My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me," Trump told the New York Times, dismissing the relevance of international law. His explanation for wanting Greenland—"Because that's what I feel is psychologically needed for success"—further underscores a worldview centred on personal will and power.
Laying Groundwork for 2028 and Beyond
While the midterms are a immediate focus, the administration's actions may be setting the stage for a more audacious goal: a third term for Trump in 2028, despite the 22nd Amendment's two-term limit. MAGA leaders like Steve Bannon have openly declared Trump will secure a third term, and allies like Alan Dershowitz are publishing works on its constitutional feasibility.
The philosophy driving this approach was summarised by adviser Stephen Miller on CNN: "We live in a world... that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world." This embrace of brute force commits the US to long-term international hostilities and deepens domestic divisions, creating the very instability the president then promises to resolve.
The chaos of early 2026 is not a series of isolated incidents but a coherent, if dangerous, political tactic. By stoking fear and presenting himself as the indispensable strongman, Trump aims to dominate the electoral landscape for years to come, with the midterms serving as the first major test of this strategy of manufactured crisis.
