{"id":2600188,"date":"2026-05-08T05:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-shows-little-sign-of-becoming-gop-lame-duck\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T05:31:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:31:20","slug":"trump-shows-little-sign-of-becoming-gop-lame-duck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-shows-little-sign-of-becoming-gop-lame-duck\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump shows little sign of becoming GOP lame duck"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-shows-little-sign-of-becoming-gop-lame-duck%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2600188&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>donald Trump is facing no clear decline in influence within teh Republican Party heading into difficult midterm elections, and recent Indiana results highlight how costly it can be for GOP officials to break with him. After five Indiana Republican state senators lost primaries to Trump-backed challengers, the article argues that these lawmakers were punished for resisting Trump\u2019s push for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-redistricting-lawsuit-could-cost-congressional-republicans-up-to-six-house-seats\/\" title=\"NY Redistricting Lawsuit May Result in GOP Losing Six ... Seats\">mid-decade redistricting<\/a> intended to improve Republicans\u2019 odds of winning and holding the House.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also points to Texas as another example: while Sen. John Cornyn has tried to reassure MAGA voters, his vulnerability in a primary against Attorney General Ken paxton is framed as related to perceived insufficient loyalty. Trump\u2019s broader strategy is described as targeting Republicans who oppose his agenda-through endorsements against figures like sen. Bill Cassidy and rep. Thomas Massie-reinforcing the message that endorsement is \u201cplatinum,\u201d not just symbolic.<\/p>\n<p>This occurs despite political headwinds for republicans, including backlash over war policy, gas prices, and weaker polling, as well as Democratic gains in other elections. Still, some Republicans contend that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/greg-casar-launches-reelection-campaign-with-help-from-mamdani-adviser\/\" title=\"Greg Casar launches reelection campaign with\u00a0help from Mamdani adviser\">aggressive redistricting efforts<\/a> and supreme Court changes weakening parts of the Voting Rights Act could help them offset midterm backlash and possibly hold the House. the article portrays Trump\u2019s power as durable-potentially lasting for the rest of his life-and warns that breaking from him remains a major political liability.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> is showing little sign of becoming a lame duck inside the Republican Party, even as the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gop\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1577\">GOP<\/a> braces for difficult midterm elections.<\/p>\n<p>That dynamic was on full display this week after five <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/indiana\/\">Indiana<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\">Republican<\/a> state senators lost <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/primaries\/\">primaries<\/a> to Trump-backed challengers. The lawmakers were <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4556609\/trump-revenge-indiana-senate-primary\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4556609\/trump-revenge-indiana-senate-primary\/\">targeted for bucking<\/a> Trump\u2019s push for mid-decade redistricting aimed at boosting the GOP\u2019s chances of holding the U.S. House of Representatives. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4557864\/trump-eu-250th-birthday-tariffs\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump gives EU until America\u2019s 250th birthday to make a decision on tariffs<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4559505\/trumps-meeting-with-brazilian-president-lula-goes-dark\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump\u2019s meeting with Brazilian president Lula goes dark<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4558903\/karoline-leavitt-welcomes-daughter-vivian\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Karoline Leavitt welcomes daughter Viviana: \u2018perfect and healthy\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Most presidents lose political leverage in their second term. Trump, at least for now, appears to be gaining it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cThe MAGA movement is Donald Trump\u2019s own creation,\u201d said Gregg Keller, a GOP strategist who runs Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s primary challenge against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe understands that coalition and those voters better than anyone else in American politics, and when he takes a political course of action that is in line with his political base, he is going to win,\u201d Keller added.<\/p>\n<p>The Texas Senate primary is a prime example of Trump\u2019s enduring power even as nervousness about the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a> abounds.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn has struggled to reassure MAGA voters frustrated with what they view as insufficient loyalty to the president, leaving the longtime senator politically vulnerable against Paxton.<\/p>\n<p>Republican strategists say the lesson from Indiana is clear: crossing Trump still carries enormous political risk inside the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe commands unmatched influence within the Republican base, exceeding even Ronald Reagan,\u201d said Ford O\u2019Connell, a GOP strategist with ties in Washington and Florida. \u201cHe has a mandate with the Republican base to continue to push the America First agenda, and anyone who gets in his way may well pay a political price. His endorsement isn\u2019t gold, it\u2019s platinum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has not endorsed in Texas despite Cornyn and Paxton\u2019s attempts to win the coveted presidential backing. But the president has already moved to use his influence against other Republicans who have defied his agenda.  <\/p>\n<p>The president has endorsed primary challengers against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Cassidy famously voted to impeach Trump in 2021 over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Massie, meanwhile, urged the president to work with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and force the Department of Justice to release troves of files related to disgraced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/epstein-files\/\">convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If both lawmakers lose their primaries, it would only further cement Trump\u2019s grip over the GOP and likely discourage other Republicans from breaking publicly with the president during his final years in office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIncumbent politicians don\u2019t just get to keep their seats because they\u2019ve been there forever,\u201d said Jordan Ohler, a GOP strategist based in Ohio. \u201cJust because you\u2019re in a tough environment doesn\u2019t mean you get to turn your back on the American people when it comes to these important issues, just because you\u2019ve got to play the middle a little bit more. I think those days are over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s show of force comes at a politically precarious moment for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP faces mounting headwinds ahead of the midterm elections, including backlash over the Iran war, rising gas prices, and Trump\u2019s slipping approval ratings.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats overperformed in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races last year and have won the majority of special election contests held since Trump returned to the White House. <\/p>\n<p>Yet, Republicans in Washington have shown little appetite for breaking publicly with the president.<\/p>\n<p>GOP lawmakers in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"93\">House<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> have <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >repeatedly blocked war powers resolutions<\/a> to rein in Trump\u2019s ability to wage war with Iran. Republicans have also lined up behind Trump\u2019s border policies, despite outrage from Democrats over the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Still, some Republicans argue the political environment is not nearly as bleak as Democrats hope.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connell pointed to aggressive Republican-led redistricting efforts across multiple states, along with recent Supreme Court decisions weakening portions of the Voting Rights Act, as factors that could help the GOP blunt a potential midterm election backlash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in a new era of mid-decade redistricting,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s such that Republicans, between this and getting gas prices down, could conceivably hold the House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several states, including Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee, are attempting to redraw new maps as quickly as possible to create more GOP-friendly districts.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s \u201clegacy is going to be teaching people how to fight like he does,\u201d Ohler said of the efforts. \u201cIf you\u2019re not locked in on this fight to protect our country against all these things the Democrats would do in Congress, then, you\u2019re gonna get fired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Keller, who is running Paxton\u2019s PAC, even suggested Trump\u2019s power over the GOP will last for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4557093\/trump-indiana-trouble-massie-cassidy-election\/\">TRUMP\u2019S INDIANA VICTORY SPELLS TROUBLE FOR MASSIE AND CASSIDY ELECTION SURVIVAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe will remain the most powerful person in the party and in the movement as long as he lives,\u201d said Keller. <\/p>\n<p>For now, at least, Indiana offered the clearest sign yet that Republicans still see crossing Trump as a far greater political risk than standing beside him, even in a difficult election environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump isn\u2019t acting like a lame duck; Indiana GOP senators lost primaries for defying him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2600189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26126610315509.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32431,6203,67888,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2600188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-election","tag-gop","tag-lame-duck-2","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26126610315509.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2600188"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2600192,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600188\/revisions\/2600192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2600189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2600188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2600188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2600188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}