President Donald Trump has increasingly succeeded in pushing out Republican members of Congress who have rejected his authority over the GOP. But the victories risk complicating his remaining legislative agenda ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) lost his reelection bid last week to a Trump-backed challenger in Louisiana. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was defeated in a GOP primary by Trump-backed Ed Gallrein on Tuesday in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is likely to lose the primary runoff against Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 26. Trump backed Paxton on Tuesday over disagreements with Senate GOP leadership.
The losses could create headaches for Republican leaders navigating razor-thin majorities in Congress. Outgoing lawmakers no longer facing voters have less incentive to align with the White House, potentially threatening GOP efforts to show voters they can govern ahead of a difficult midterm election.
Still, Trump brushed aside those concerns Wednesday before delivering a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.
“They’ll be all right with it. They want to win. I know how to win,” he said. “Some of them don’t know how to win. I know how to win. I think I’ve proven that, haven’t I?”
But with over seven months remaining before the next Congress is sworn in, defeated or retiring Republicans still have leverage.
Fresh off his defeat, Cassidy joined Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Tuesday in voting for a Democratic-led measure restricting Trump’s ability to wage war with Iran. Cassidy also came out against including $1 billion for Secret Service security in the GOP’s party-line immigration bill because of concerns over Trump’s White House ballroom.
Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has also reportedly raised concerns about the funding. With Republicans holding just a 53-47 Senate majority, even a handful of defections could complicate Trump’s agenda.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) tried to strike a diplomatic tone, but acknowledged that Trump’s actions were complicating the future of his agenda.
“Obviously, there’s always a consequence associated with taking on incumbent U.S. senators,” Thune told the Washington Examiner. “So I guess the question — 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 the agenda, and obviously, that can become slightly more complicated.”
The tensions are also emerging in the House, where Republicans also hold only a narrow majority.
In his concession speech on Tuesday, Massie appeared to hint that he would use his time left in Congress to be a thorn in Trump’s side. Trump likely did not help by branding Massie a “lowlife” on Wednesday and taking credit for his defeat. He also publicly criticized Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO).
Fitzpatrick, one of the House’s more centrist Republicans, was quick to brush off the criticism.
“Everybody has a right to free speech,” Fitzpatrick told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t begrudge anyone for sharing their thoughts. It’s not going to change how I do my job.”
Still, Fitzpatrick’s job is increasingly coming into contention with Trump. The Pennsylvania Republican voted with Democrats last week to rein in Trump’s ability to conduct war with Iran. On Wednesday, Fitzpatrick pledged to find a legislative way to “kill” the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization” compensation fund.
The White House did not directly address questions about whether Trump was endangering his agenda in Congress.
“President Trump remains focused on delivering wins for the American people, and working closely with Congress to do so,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “The American people rightfully expect Congress to continue legislating to enact President Trump’s agenda, which is what they were elected to do.”
Jackson pointed to past legislation that Congress has enacted, including tax cuts, immigration enforcement measures, and efforts to crack down on fentanyl.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) similarly argued Republicans remain united behind Trump’s agenda despite disagreements inside the conference.
“The president has the strongest endorsement in the history of politics,” Johnson said. “But we don’t demand loyalty to the president. What I demand as speaker of the House is loyalty to our core principles, the principles of our party, which are the principles of America, and that’s what we’re standing for.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who is not seeking reelection and has faced criticism from Trump, admitted the president’s tactics could be grating.
“I don’t like the threatening and the bullying, and I think we should be an independent branch,” Bacon said. “Obviously, as conservatives, we have a lot of alignment, but it’s not healthy to have the bullying and the demand for loyalty.”
Still, some rank-and-file members urged their colleagues to pay Trump the respect he deserves as party leader.
“We just have to get behind the president and his agenda to follow his lead, because he is by far the leader of our party,” said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who is not running for reelection. “And I don’t think we should have people obstruct him.”
HOW LONG WILL TRUMP CONTROL THE GOP?
Tillis told the Washington Examiner that he would “leave it to the other members” to decide how to respond to Trump’s targeting of incumbents. Yet, as Tillis was being asked if the president risked diminishing support for his agenda, one Democrat didn’t hesitate to jump in.
“I would say yes,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) chimed in, garnering laughter as she and Tillis got into an elevator.