President Trump trained elected Republicans to obey him, even when they disagreed.

Elected Republicans trained Trump to expect obedience, even as his demands grew impossible to satisfy.

Why it matters: Years of Republicans submitting to Trump, often against their own judgment, have curdled into a rolling crisis as Washington nears the likely end of the GOP's two-year monopoly.

The big picture: Trump has spent his second term steamrolling his own party, confident the lawmakers he humiliates will keep voting his way.

Between the lines: Trump is governing like a term-limited president with little patience for Congress, few concerns about the midterms, and an insatiable appetite for executive power.

• "I don't think about Americans' financial situation," Trump told reporters in May when asked whether domestic economic pressure was shaping his Iran negotiations.

• "I don't care about the midterms," he said to his Cabinet two weeks later, dismissing the idea that Iran could wait him out on peace talks.

Top Republicans tell us Trump's response — lashing out ineffectively — could be a preview of how he'll play his cards over the next 2½ years as his power wanes.

• He'll technically be a lame duck after November's midterms. A favorable midterm environment could hand Democrats the House, even with Republicans' redistricting edge. The Senate is in play, too.

• "The Senate is now behaving like the Senate," said a longtime Trump ally who knows Congress well. "More to come. If he loses the Senate, his presidency will be effectively over. Yet he's acting like it doesn't matter."

https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/trump-senate-republicans-blind-loyalty

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I wonder, are "checks and balances" still in place and working?

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Schoggibueb
Link added

It all boils down to whether the midterms will happen in a democratic manner, or if trump will be successful in his second coup attempt.

Because one thing is for sure, he WILL try to cheat.

Once a traitor, always a traitor.