What must Trump do to recalibrate? Is there enough time to right the ship before the pivotal midterms?
The ship is off course. Blocked by the courts. Stifled by Congress. Abandoned by allies. Trump’s policy agendas have hit powerful headwinds. Immigration, tariff reform, and government reorganization have all been stifled. Foundational policies of Trump’s second term are all in jeopardy of crashing, with more storms brewing ahead. What must he do to recalibrate? Is there enough time to right the ship before the pivotal midterms?
Immigration: District judge Nancy Brassel just ruled against one of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. According to Politico, it’s the 45th time that a Trump-nominated judge has ruled against his mass-detention policies. This ruling follows an announced drawdown by White House border czar Tom Homan of ICE agents in Minnesota after massive political and media backlash.
Government Reorganization: A debate over shutting down the Department of Homeland Security is now on the table. These kinds of debates are now a mainstay in Washington. But prior to this, there were nonstop talks about DOGE, the cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk. He left the administration, and government reorganization seemed to be replaced with shutdown after shutdown — a far cry from the original ambitious agenda.
Tariffs: The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The party leadership has been able to block such votes in the past, but this time six Republicans defied their leaders and joined Democrats against one of the president’s signature issues. The Supreme Court is still deliberating Trump’s tariffs, but it seems that the House couldn’t wait. The Supreme Court decision could come any day and will prove decisive on whether tariffs get largely overturned.
Republican defiance of the president could spread to other agenda items. Currently, this Republican opposition includes two retireesDan Newhouse (R-WA) and Don Bacon (R-NE); a gerrymandered seat in Kevin Kiley (R-CA); and frequent Trump opponent Tom Massie (R-KY). Is this the tip of the iceberg?
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