{"id":2607718,"date":"2026-05-28T07:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maga-recruits-and-300-million-war-chest-postpone-trumps-lame-duck-era\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T07:40:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:40:34","slug":"maga-recruits-and-300-million-war-chest-postpone-trumps-lame-duck-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maga-recruits-and-300-million-war-chest-postpone-trumps-lame-duck-era\/","title":{"rendered":"MAGA recruits and $300 million war chest postpone Trump&#8217;s lame-duck era"},"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\">22<\/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%2Fmaga-recruits-and-300-million-war-chest-postpone-trumps-lame-duck-era%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=2607718&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>A president\u2019s second-term power usually fades once reelection is off the table, but the article argues that President donald Trump is showing he still has major influence heading into 2028. It points to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s win over Sen.john Cornyn after Trump\u2019s endorsement, describing it as another example of Trump\u2019s ability to shape GOP outcomes and deliver political \u201crevenge\u201d against rivals.<\/p>\n<p>The piece says Paxton\u2019s success fits a broader pattern of Trump-backed candidates defeating Republicans who had previously opposed him, and it highlights how Cornyn\u2019s actions-such as certifying the 2020 election results and downplaying Trump in 2024-put him in Trump\u2019s crosshairs. With Paxton perhaps winning in November, the article suggests Trump\u2019s MAGA agenda would be further protected.<\/p>\n<p>Officials and strategists quoted in the piece argue Trump is not acting like a lame duck because he continues to dominate headlines, steer primaries, and control large funding resources. It notes that Republican campaign groups and super PACs have amassed far more money than Democrats before upcoming midterms. Democrats, however, dispute Trump\u2019s impact, claiming his economics are hurting voters and that his handpicked candidates could damage Republicans in general elections. Still,the article concludes that Trump\u2019s clout inside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kelli-ward-reelected-as-ariz-gop-chairwoman\/\" title=\"Kelli Ward reelected as Ariz. GOP chairwoman\">party remains strong<\/a>,and the focus now shifts to which Republican figures might be next if they fall out of favor.  <\/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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A president\u2019s political power typically wanes in his second term because he cannot seek reelection, and attention inevitably turns to who the next leader of the free world might be. But President <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> does not seem like a lame duck just yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, who repeatedly quips that he will run again in 2028, regardless of the Constitution, demonstrated his political strength again this week. Texas Attorney General <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4370\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a> triumphed over Sen. <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"965\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) after the president finally endorsed Paxton last week for the Republican Senate nomination in the Lone Star State.<\/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\/4584816\/bessent-to-host-white-house-press-briefing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bessent to host next White House press briefing as Leavitt rests on maternity leave<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4584638\/jill-biden-frightened-joe-biden-stroke-2024-debate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jill Biden says she was \u2018frightened\u2019 that Joe Biden was \u2018having a stroke\u2019 during 2024 debate<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4584187\/zelensky-us-loyalty-letter-trump-patriot-missile\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Zelensky addresses US loyalty in letter to Trump for more Patriot missiles<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCongratulations to Ken Paxton on such a tremendous win, and to John Cornyn for having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career,\u201d Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. \u201cJohn will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton\u2019s overperformance in his runoff election against Cornyn capped off multiple primary wins this month for Trump-endorsed candidates against Republicans who have, at one time or another, opposed the president, from his ouster of six Indiana state senators who declined to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >conduct mid-decade congressional redistricting<\/a> to his toppling of Rep. <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"17668\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY), who pushed for greater transparency of the federal government\u2019s files on <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1860\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeffrey-epstein\/\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>, and Sen. <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2103\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-cassidy\/\">Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA), who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial over the <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"226\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\">Jan. 6, 2021<\/a> attack on the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Trump was far more magnanimous toward Cornyn in his Truth Social post compared to other rivals, the Texas senator nonetheless paid the price for political crimes against the president. Cornyn voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election and told reporters during the 2024 Republican primary that the president\u2019s time had \u201cpassed him by.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such was the success of the Trump 2026 revenge tour, eyes are now inevitably turning to Republicans who could feel his wrath in 2028, including Sens. <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2303\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lisa-murkowski\/\">Lisa Murkowski <\/a>(R-AK), <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"230\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY), <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3579\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-young\/\">Todd Young<\/a> (R-IN), and even Senate Majority Leader <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"178\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\">John Thune<\/a> (R-SD), in addition to Rep.<strong> <\/strong><a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3037\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lauren-boebert\/\">Lauren Boebert<\/a> (R-CO), who this month campaigned for Massie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should Paxton win in November, it makes it more likely that Trump\u2019s MAGA legacy is protected and acted upon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump is the unequivocal leader and best messenger for the Republican Party,\u201d White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cNearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda, and he has kept his promises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wales added, \u201cThe president has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, \u201cmore than most presidents,\u201d Trump\u2019s \u201cnature\u201d will \u201cresist ever becoming a lame duck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s a permanent bull in the china shop, and I predict he will remain one right up to Jan. 20, 2029,\u201d Fleischer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s just the way he is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican strategist Alex Conant agreed that Trump\u2019s tendency to \u201cdominate headlines, set the agenda, and decide primaries makes him anything but a lame duck.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe continues to wield as much power as ever,\u201d Conant told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cHe will be a force as long as he remains a decider in Republican primaries and can deploy a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/southern-poverty-law-center-maintains-160-million-in-offshore-accounts\/\" title=\"Southern Poverty Law Center Maintains 0 Million in Offshore Accounts\">massive war chest<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To that end, Trump, the main Republican campaign committees, and GOP super PACs have amassed $843.6 million before November\u2019s <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm elections<\/a>, $600 million more than their Democratic counterparts, amid concerns about the <a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-national-committee\/\">Democratic National Committee<\/a>\u2018s leadership after Chairman Ken Martin\u2019s response to his party\u2019s 2024 election autopsy report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats remain undeterred, underscoring, for example, how Senate Republicans departed Washington last week without voting on the GOP-only $70 billion immigration bill because of a difference of opinion with Trump over his $1 billion request for his White House ballroom, his $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, and his endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn, a\u00a0former party whip\u00a0and prolific fundraiser.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s economy has cratered as Americans struggle to afford gas, groceries, and healthcare, and instead of helping lower costs, Trump is propping up far-right, out-of-touch candidates who want to double down on his \u2018billionaire-first, America last\u2019 agenda,\u201d DNC rapid response director Kendall Whitmer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cRepublicans have lost elections up and down the ballot, and Trump\u2019s handpicked extreme candidates will only remind Americans of Trump\u2019s historic failures and deeply unpopular presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic strategist Christopher Hahn predicted that Trump is \u201csix months away from being a lame duck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe has proven he can take out anyone in the GOP primaries, but he is poised to drag his party down in the general,\u201d Hahn told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4579262\/trump-health-scrutiny-biden-decline\/\"><strong>TRUMP HEALTH SCRUTINY SHAPED BY FALLOUT FROM BIDEN DECLINE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2059\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\">Republican National Committee<\/a> press secretary Kiersten Pels countered, arguing\u00a0that Republicans\u2019 \u201cmassive\u201d war chest and the primary victories by Trump-endorsed candidates emphasize that \u201cthe energy and momentum\u201d remain behind the \u201cAmerica First\u201d movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRepublican voters continue rewarding candidates who support President Trump\u2019s agenda and are rejecting the failed, far-left policies of the continually unpopular Democrat Party,\u201d Pels told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump\u2019s second-term power may fade, but he\u2019s not a lame duck yet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2607719,"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\/AP26147629959972_83d1f0.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8383,5656,3698,3634,56776],"class_list":["post-2607718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-lame-duck","tag-maga","tag-recruiting","tag-trump","tag-war-chest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26147629959972_83d1f0.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607718","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\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2607718"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607723,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607718\/revisions\/2607723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2607718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2607718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2607718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}