President Donald Trump’s poll numbers are on the decline, gas prices are on the rise, and the approval rating for the GOP-controlled Congress is at an all-time low.
But less than six months before the midterm elections, Republicans on Capitol Hill are sticking with Trump, betting his iron grip on the GOP base will overcome any drag his policies — or his unpopular rhetoric — may have on the race to control Congress.
Republicans say they have little choice.
GOP lawmakers, speaking with MS NOW on background to share their private concerns, said their best chance at political survival was to just swallow their reservations and continue ingratiating themselves with Trump — whether it be to maintain turnout with the GOP base, to fight for Republican principles, or to shield themselves from Trump’s wrath.
“When folks are going home and talking to their base, the base still seems to like the president, and so getting into a war with the guy doesn’t help anyone,” one House Republican who represents a swing district told MS NOW.
This GOP lawmaker, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Trump “has a reputation of getting into fights with people.”
“Members of Congress right now are just trying to represent their districts and do the best they can for their constituents, and getting into a verbal fight or disagreement just isn’t helpful,” this Republican said. “Being at odds with the president right now, [prompting] negative comments, all those different things would have an impact.”
Another House Republican, who was also granted anonymity, said Trump “is a force of nature” and “wielding his bully pulpit unlike any other president ever has.”
“The president wields a lot of power and he’s not afraid to use it,” this GOP lawmaker added. “Maybe other presidents in the past have used some of the power, but it’s not been as public as this president has done and is willing to do.”
While Republicans may be afraid to speak out, the list of potential grievances they could take is growing.
There’s been little GOP criticism of the administration for the war in Iran, which has prompted gas prices to skyrocket. (On Thursday, the national average was $4.56 a gallon, according to AAA.)
There was hardly any GOP opposition to Trump’s plan to tear down the East Wing and construct a ballroom with a price tag that keeps ballooning — a gambit that almost certainly would have enraged Republicans for years if President Joe Biden or Barack Obama had proposed it.
Only a few Republican lawmakers criticized Trump’s Justice Department when the DOJ indicted former FBI Director James Comey. Democrats have lambasted those charges as politically motivated — and once again noted that Republicans would be apoplectic if a Democratic president were using the DOJ in this manner.
And there’s been little GOP pushback to Trump’s recent social media posts, including his skirmishes with the Pope, his since-deleted depiction of himself as Jesus, and a White House photo of the president and King Charles that said “TWO KINGS.”
That isn’t to say there hasn’t been any dissent.
A handful of Republicans did criticize Trump’s post depicting himself as the Pope, and a large number denounced his Easter message threatening to end civilization in Iran. There’s also been a group of retiring GOP lawmakers who are more vocal about their disagreements with Trump.
But by and large, to a surprising degree, GOP lawmakers have avoided publicly airing their grievances with the president. For some, that’s by design.
One of the previously quoted House Republicans said instead of publicly pushing back, several GOP lawmakers pick their battles behind the scenes, going directly to the administration on issues that hit their constituents the hardest.
“Members are just picking and choosing their battles, and they’re the way when they battle, they usually work directly with the White House and get them resolved,” this member said. “A lot of the public stuff, there’s not a lot you can do, and so at the end of the day, what you do as a member is you do your best for your constituents, you ignore some of the headaches going on with with all the social media posts and the horrible messaging and just try to deliver for your constituents.”
Democrats, of course, think those explanations are insufficient.
“It’s shameful,” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., told MS NOW. “It’s a complete dereliction of their oath of office and just a betrayal of any semblance of integrity in public service. It’s horrible.”
He said Republicans “are scared to death of Donald Trump.”
“They feel powerless and feel like they just have to follow him over the cliff,” he added.
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But if that’s the case, Huffman sees an upside. He likened the dynamic to 2018, when House Democrats netted 41 seats, retook control of the chamber, and were able to put a check on the Trump administration.
“We’re gonna kick their butts in the election,” Huffman said.
But even as Huffman and other Democrats argue there will be repercussions for these Republicans staying silent, there are also clear repercussions in the GOP for crossing Trump.
Earlier this week, voters in Indiana followed the president’s lead and ousted several GOP state senators he targeted for rejecting a redistricting push in the state. Of the seven anti-redistricting Republicans Trump endorsed against, five lost.
To some of the president’s closest allies, the Hoosier state races leave no doubt that Trump’s grip on the party is as tight as ever.
“He is the leader of our party,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told MS NOW. “He’s the one that has been elected three times to be our candidate. The Republican Party and people believe in him.”
Beyond the risk of Trump’s wrath, another swing-district House Republican told MS NOW that some Republicans have stuck by Trump’s side despite their concerns because they want to keep the base energized for turnout purposes — especially for the most competitive races.
In purple districts, turnout could make or break races for both parties. And with that in mind, and with both chambers in the balance, some Republicans are operating in a way to make sure core voters cast their ballots.
“A lot of them are cognizant of making sure their base is energized and they don’t run into a scenario where they’re losing the center of the electorate and the base is depressed,” this swing-district Republican said. “They want to at least keep their base energized by sticking with the president.”
This member also said that, for some, it comes down to their personal relationship with the president.
“A lot of people personally like him,” this lawmaker said. “They respect sort of the movement that he created and all that he overcame with the assassinations and the lawsuits and the indictments and all that. They have a certain level of respect for him personally. I don’t think they want to criticize him personally, although a lot of things that he does really aggravates them.”
For others, though, it all comes down to the longevity of the GOP brand.
Asked why Republicans have stuck with the president despite the difficult political atmosphere and their various policy concerns, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who switched parties during Trump’s first term, called it “a bigger philosophical question.”
“There are Republican voters that believe this is a unique time in history,” he said. “That we are at a point where the country is gonna go one way or another, and they believe that we’re in trouble — not because of the president but because of the direction we were taking, because of Democrats.”
“They’re worried we’re going to lose America,” Van Drew said, adding that “sometimes people say, ‘gee, I wish the president was a little calmer,” but say they’ll stick with Trump because they agree with his overall direction for the country.
“Are we gonna be more in the European model, or are we going to continue to be the American leadership model?” Van Drew asked.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.