Republicans in Congress are sticking with President Trump to please party loyalists, but that could cost them in future elections.
HIS APPROVAL RATINGS are abysmal. Americans overwhelmingly blame him for the government shutdown. A special prosecutor’s investigation has resulted in prison terms for several of his administration and campaign operatives, and may result in more. Cabinet secretaries have been forced to resign, other top officials have left in protest, and Democrats who just regained power on Capitol Hill are talking impeachment. Foreign allies are exasperated with him.
On paper, President Donald Trump ought to have the least amount of political capital in modern presidential history. The approval numbers alone would normally lead members of Congress to avoid the president like he’s a communicable virus.
But Trump, entering the second half of his first term, retains a remarkable level of control over his party, even among those he has personally – and publicly – insulted. The extraordinary dynamic is making it even harder for Congress and the White House to come to some kind of agreement to end the punishing, monthlong government shutdown that is now imperiling everything from housing assistance to farmer support to federal tax refunds.