President Trump has given the same response to political aides who have given him strategic advice in recent weeks: “I’m the president and you’re not,” according to people with knowledge of the conversations.
Seventeen months into his second term, Trump is increasingly relying on his gut instincts, Dismiss the lawyer of allies, conservative lawmakers and longtime allies. The result has been a series of decisions that have confused and frustrated Republicans — increasing fears that voters will punish the GOP in the November elections and test Trump’s tight grip on the party.
trump The anger of radical conservatives flared up And some Republican lawmakers this week argued that it would provide Tehran a financial lifeline without doing enough to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions when it agreed to an initial peace deal with Iran.
“Reagan is rolling in his grave,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), who was Defeated in Republican primary by a Trump-backed candidate earlier this year. He argued that the Iran deal does not meet the administration’s war objectives: “It is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
President too Blasted in attack The Senate plans to quickly confirm a new intelligence chief and renew a key spy law, preventing its own nominee from appearing at confirmation hearings so that his acting pick for the job can remain in the role for a long time. Trump said he would refuse to sign legislation reauthorizing the spying law, a longtime priority for his Republican allies in Congress, unless lawmakers approve a voter-ID bill, which GOP leaders insist does not have enough support to pass.
As he has faced criticism from some in his own party, Trump in recent weeks has made comments that have stunned his political allies, according to people who have spoken to GOP lawmakers and strategists, and have provided fodder for Democratic political ads. Trump has said that he does not care about the midterm elections. He downplayed the impact of higher prices on Americans, saying, “I like inflation.” And on Wednesday, he said Iran should be able to keep some of its ballistic missiles because his national security advisers had made destroying Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities a primary objective of the war.
White House officials said Trump’s easy-going style is one of his political gifts, arguing that it has helped build a base of support that has stuck with him for a decade. Officials said Trump’s team knows he is the final say on policy.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wells, pointing to his work on immigration, the economy and national security, said, “No president has worked harder or delivered more results than President Trump. The results speak for themselves.”
Inside the White House, some aides have privately expressed frustration about Trump’s recent moves. His decision to appoint his housing chief, Bill Pulte, as acting intelligence director angered some of the president’s aides, several of whom have done so, according to people familiar with the matter. Pulte clashed behind the scenes. Trump in turn has expressed frustration with his staff and discouraged advisers from talking about his harsh immigration policies ahead of the midterms, the people said.
For much of his second term, Trump has maintained unwavering control over his party, with few GOP politicians publicly opposing his moves. But congressional Republicans, some of whom lost re-election bids after Trump endorsed his opponents, are offering increasingly blunt assessments of Trump’s actions.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), who has rarely criticized Trump publicly, issued a statement Thursday objecting to the preliminary agreement Trump signed with Iran, saying it “negotiates the victories” of the war in ways that are completely beyond the president’s goals.
Trump has expressed disappointment privately Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) cited his inability to pass a voter-ID bill that the President has said is critical to Republican victory in the midterms. Trump has told aides he is tired of hearing “no” from Thune, but the Senate leader has said there is not enough support in the Senate to advance the voting legislation.
“The absolute control that Trump had over Congress is no longer there,” said Ron Bonjean, a former spokesman for the House and Senate Republican leadership. “His vocal dismissal of Republican midterm election expectations and legislative demands that will harm voters this November has strained the relationship.”
White House spokesperson Wells said Trump has worked closely with Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), and he hopes all Republicans in the 119th Congress will continue to deliver on the America First mandate issued by the American people.
For months, Trump has resisted warnings from Republicans and some of his advisers that the war is making the GOP’s political problems worse. Voters have expressed concern in the poll over high gas prices, which have increased after Iran limited traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
When asked last month to what extent Americans’ financial situation would tempt them to compromise to end the war, the president replied: “Not even a little bit.”
“I don’t think about the financial condition of Americans,” he said at the time, facing criticism from fellow Republicans. “I don’t think about anything. I think about one thing – we can’t let Iran have nuclear weapons. That’s all.”
He privately told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he did not care about the midterms, a statement that, according to American and Israeli officials, was meant to underline his commitment to the Iran campaign regardless of the political consequences.
In recent weeks, some Trump advisers have stepped up their warnings to the president, telling him that global oil inventories are depleting and the window to prevent reserves from falling to critically low levels is closing, according to people familiar with the matter. Oil officials publicly raised the same concerns.
On Wednesday, Trump’s message on the war changed in a sign that warnings have reached the president. He admitted for the first time that because of the continuing war “economic disasterAnd oil reserves were on track to be exhausted in about four weeks. He argued that an initial deal would lead to a rapid economic recovery.
Advisers have publicly expressed relief that Trump is moving to end the war, but the president is still cautioning them. He unexpectedly decided to sign the Iran deal during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, surprising some of his own aides, who were planning a separate signing event on Friday.
Echoes of Trump’s decision to delay the confirmation of Jay Clayton, a top federal prosecutor and former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the next director of national intelligence are still being heard on Capitol Hill.
Republican lawmakers thought the Clayton nomination was a practical solution to the fallout from Trump’s decision to appoint Pulte as acting intelligence director. They were moving quickly to confirm Clayton this week to replace Pulte before he takes over as acting intelligence chief.
But Trump began to have second thoughts in recent days, according to people familiar with the matter, when he learned that his close aide Pulte would have little time to execute a far-reaching firing at the office of director of national intelligence before he stepped into Clayton on a permanent basis.
Trump gave authority to Pulte change officeAnd Pulte has already started moving to implement those plans. According to a senior administration official, he told Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard last week that the agency’s leadership transition would begin immediately. According to the official, Pulte is also holding meetings with intelligence officials at ODNI in Virginia to discuss his and the president’s job cut plans.
On the sidelines of meetings with foreign leaders in France, Trump announced his decision to delay Clayton’s confirmation hearing, hire Pulte on an acting basis, and refuse to sign the FISA reauthorization until the voter-ID bill is approved.
Trump said in a social-media post that the head-scratching moves “add a little bit of intrigue, but for the good of the nation and the people of our country.”
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