Donald Trump faces widening opposition within his own party as Republican lawmakers in Congress show a greater willingness to break ranks with the US president.
Over the past week, multiple Republican factions in the Senate and House of Representatives stepped forward to rebuke his war against Iran, reject £1 billion in funding tied to his White House ballroom, force a retreat on his £1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, and block his legislation on domestic spying.
The House also defied Trump on Thursday by passing a bill to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia. The measure now appears destined for a presidential veto.
While Republicans and Democrats remain skeptical that Trump faces an actual revolt, a growing coalition of Republicans is showing a willingness to break with him. This group includes lawmakers whom Trump personally helped to push out of office, posing a threat to his most ambitious initiatives ahead of Election Day.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement last year after opposing the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” said that lawmakers are going to vote the way they think their constituents want them to as the election approaches.
Democrats largely dismissed the idea of a significant party rift, arguing there is no evidence that the wider Republican party is willing to defy Trump on major issues. Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who sometimes supports Trump-backed initiatives, said that the people breaking with Trump are the ones he pushed out, which actually demonstrates his absolute control over the party.
One White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, chalked the dissent up to election-year politics, noting that not every member will absorb the political cost on every single issue.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that the media and Democrats are attempting to sow nonexistent divisions, adding that the administration looks forward to continuing its close relationship with Congress to fulfill Trump’s agenda.
For years, Republican lawmakers have shown public fealty to Trump by backing controversial cabinet picks, offering little resistance to his executive orders, and supporting his signature legislation despite misgivings about the ballooning deficit and cuts to the Medicaid healthcare programme for low-income Americans.
(Reuters)