President Donald Trump’s power to bend a compliant Republican Congress to his will has stalled amid a series of political setbacks that threaten to fracture the party heading into next year’s pivotal midterm elections.
In the last week, Trump capitulated to fellow Republicans’ demands for the release of the files of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein; saw his $2,000 stimulus check proposal receive a chilly reception on Capitol Hill; and prompted an intra-party debate over midterm campaign priorities with his broader effort to reclaim the affordability mantle.
President Trump during a meeting with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office on Nov. 21.
Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg
And late Friday, he lost one of his once-most stalwart allies, ...
