An emboldened President Donald Trump is determined to flex his power over the GOP — at seemingly any cost.
Republicans are coming to grips with a president who less than six months out from the midterms is focused on racking up a body count of lawmakers who have crossed him, asserting his control over his party and burnishing his legacy — putting the GOP legislative agenda and the survival of its majorities at risk.
That reckoning is playing out on Capitol Hill this week as frustrated Republicans — including some lawmakers that Trump has essentially cast out of the party — joined with Democrats to rebuke his handling of the Iran war, deny public money for his White House ballroom and decry an “anti-weaponization” fund that could be used to pay presidential allies.
It does not appear that Trump or many of his allies in Congress are prepared to heed that message. Instead they are doubling down on loyalty.Speaker Mike Johnson tried to quiet any anxieties within his conference Wednesday, arguing that the president “knows what’s at stake” this November and is working to keep the GOP in control in the House and Senate.
But asked about Trump ousting Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of few remaining GOP mavericks in Congress, the speaker made clear that a certain level of dissent will not be tolerated.
“We need people here … who are not trying to carve out their own lane and do something that’s destructive or counterproductive to the agenda, and that’s what’s happened,” Johnson said. “That’s the message.”
Just as Johnson spoke, Trump turned his fire on yet another GOP lawmaker — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents a purple Pennsylvania district that Kamala Harris won in 2024 and is widely seen as the only Republican capable of holding it.
Trump attacked him after fielding a question he didn’t like from a Fox News reporter who is engaged to Fitzpatrick: “He likes voting against Trump. You know what happens with that? It doesn’t work out well.”
Coming on the heels of Trump’s moves to oust two sitting GOP senators, many Republicans blanched as the president again unloaded on one of their own.
“It’s dumb,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who is choosing to retire at the end of his current term after clashing with Trump on numerous issues.
“It seems like he’s given up on holding the majority and focusing on loyalty in the minority,” said another House Republican granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Fitzpatrick told reporters Trump’s attacks would have “zero” effect on his positions: “He can say what he wants. It doesn’t impact me at all. It doesn’t hurt my feelings.”
To be sure, some Republicans are openly cheering the president’s bare-knuckle crackdown on his opponents within the party. But others are despondent about where the president’s attention appears to be — on his ballroom, a triumphal arch and the internal revenge campaign — as gas prices continue to rise and the Iran war drags on with little end in sight.
“I believe that there are people in the White House who couldn’t care less about what happens in November,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who, like Bacon, is retiring. “And that goes to show you how stupid they are, because if they don’t get Republicans reelected, they’re going to create the most miserable two years of this president’s life.”
Trump officials are dismissing any concerns about the president’s focus.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales touted the president’s policy accomplishments, including border security, tax cuts and a drop in violent crime. She said the president will continue to “draw a contrast” with Democrats ahead of the election by highlighting his “common sense agenda.”
“President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican party,” Wales said, while RNC spokesperson Kiersten Pels said “voters overwhelmingly continue to reward candidates who stand with the President and his winning movement.”
A senior White House official said other Republicans simply needed to submit given Trump’s grip on the GOP electorate: “The quicker they understand that President Trump is the ultimate force in politics, the quicker they’ll realize it’s a futile exercise to go against him.”
Back on Capitol Hill, House GOP leaders took a less bombastic approach as they defended Fitzpatrick from Trump’s barbs.
“Look, Brian Fitzpatrick has a very difficult district — he has an independent streak, as we all know — but he’s a very close friend and colleague of mine,” Johnson said in an interview later Wednesday, adding that he was “working hard to get him reelected.”
Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who leads the House GOP campaign arm, declined to comment on Trump’s attack but noted that “holding that seat is really important for holding the majority.”
Party loyalty was an even touchier subject in the Senate this week as Republicans reeled from the president’s successful campaign to end Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy’s two-term career in the chamber and his late-breaking endorsement undercutting Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection bid.
“There’s growing frustration that the president won’t aim his ire at Democrats instead of Republicans,” said one senior Senate GOP aide who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged the tough reality he faces Wednesday, a day after Cassidy helped advance a measure that would rein in Trump’s military campaign against Iran: “Obviously, there’s always a consequence associated with taking on incumbent United States senators.” “He obviously has his favorites and people he wants to endorse, and that’s his prerogative, but what we have to deal with up here is moving an agenda,” Thune added. “Obviously that can become slightly more complicated.”
Trump’s refusal to brook any disagreement with a fellow Republican or walk away from legacy-burnishing projects that others in his party find hard to defend has Democrats feeling more bullish by the day about their midterm opportunities.
“He’s focused on a revenge tour and not at all on the struggles that American families are having, and they see that every day in … his focus on ballrooms or reflecting pools, slush funds, golf courses,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, who leads Democratic House campaign efforts. “They’ve ignored the needs of the American people.”
Reacting Wednesday to Massie’s loss, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that all members needed to remember that they are “here to represent the people that sent you” and referenced Cassidy’s loss as another object lesson.
“Just like in Louisiana Saturday, it just goes to show that the voters have the ultimate say on whether we stay or come back, and if you break the trust with your voters, they’re going to send you home,” he said.
Fitzpatrick said much the same.
“Every bill that comes to the floor is either a net positive or a net negative for your district,” he said. “They’re your bosses. … I know my constituents, and I’m sure many other representatives’ constituents do not want taxpayer money going to a ballroom.”
Samuel Benson and Kelsey Brugger contributed to this report.
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