The honeymoon period of the second Trump administration has given way to a new phase where elected Republicans have grown emboldened to defy the president and push back on his administration.
Why it matters: As Trump approval numbers sag and concerns grow over the 2026 midterms outlook, Republicans are fending for themselves and stepping out of line from their party leaders.
- They've bucked Trump on the release of the Epstein files (before Trump reversed to save face) and pooh-poohed tariff rebate checks, while Indiana state senators have resisted Trump's redistricting calls.
Trump Cabinet members have also started to draw a skeptical eye from some Republicans.
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to testify under oath over the operation that killed alleged drug smugglers, while Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said that members of the House Armed Services Committee were "very concerned" by the strikes.
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has at times been more skeptical of Hegseth than other Republicans, called his tenure "bumpy" this week.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) renewed his criticism of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine policies this week, and in September, he was joined by a number of other Republicans who criticized RFK's vaccine agenda in pointed terms.
Flashback: The opening months of Trump's term were defined by Congress' lax approach to checking and balancing the executive branch.
- None of his top-level nominees were rejected in Senate confirmation votes. Just 11 "no" votes from five senators were cast across the confirmation of 22 key nominations, according to a CBS News analysis.
- Congress was permissive as Trump entered uncharted territory in invoking "emergencies" to bypass legislative approval on tariffs, deportations and deployments of the National Guard.
Within the Republican-controlled House, a fragile majority has grown more creaky and more at war with itself.
- Members are calling it quits at a record rate and leaving Republicans with less and less margin for error to keep power in 2026.
- Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing a revolt from a number of his most vocal members, including from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of leadership who called Johnson a "political novice."
What they're saying: "In a short time, President Trump has already delivered on many of the promises he was elected to enact thanks to his leadership and a unified Republican Party," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios in a statement.
- "As the architect of the MAGA movement, and the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party, President Trump will always put America First."
The bottom line: Republicans who have to face voters again are much more reluctant to badmouth him.
- Trump's most vocal detractors among Senate Republicans — Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — are leaving Congress after their current terms.
- Most dramatically, onetime close ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her exit from Congress after incurring Trump's wrath by being repeatedly critical of him.
