President Trump has absorbed a series of rebukes over the past few days, including two by his own appointees who left him fuming. Taken together, the reversals carry real costs in political capital that go beyond a bruised ego.
In a span of three days, Mr. Trump’s Justice Department dropped a marquee case of alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, his attorney general nominee scrapped the president’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund and then he pulled back on his threat to launch the “biggest attack since World War II” on Iran in favor of peace talks, though Tehran says talks aren’t happening.
The setbacks raise questions about how much leverage Mr. Trump has with lawmakers and the American public ahead of November’s midterm election. If Republicans lose control of Congress, Mr. Trump’s agenda will stall, and his administration will be buried in an avalanche of Democrat-led congressional probes.
“It has been a rough few days for the president,” said Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “The risk is that it creates a narrative that he doesn’t know what he’s doing or his administration is pursuing activities that are not well thought out. If this stuff piles up, it’s a huge problem in November.”
He said voters will blame the Republicans on the ballot if they are unhappy with the president or have “general unhappiness.”
The White House dismissed the recent hard times as an aberration that will be forgotten come November. Officials point to the slate of socialist candidates nominated by Democrats and Mr. Trump’s efforts to lower costs as reasons to be optimistic come November.
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“The Democrats are in disarray as their party is being overthrown by radical socialists and communists. President Trump remains laser-focused on lowering costs for working families, keeping the American people safe, and making this country greater than ever before,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers.
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said the shocks were like “Christmas every day” for Democrats. While he acknowledges the Iran war will have the most staying power come November, he said the other setbacks fit into the Democrats’ midterm narratives.
“These issues do contribute to the picture that voters see in their minds of Trump in chaos, Trump incompetence. So, definitely, yes, the Democrats can capitalize on it,” he said.
The blows have the potential to chip away at Mr. Trump’s credibility with voters. In the discredited prosecution of a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington and a Trump appointee, not only publicly contradicted the president, but she also called out the pool’s botched renovation.
The White House has denied that Mr. Trump selected the contractor for the nearly $16 million renovation, but the business is tied to a longtime supporter of the president.
Days later, Mr. Trump’s attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche, officially scrapped the president’s $1.8 billion fund to reimburse people who claimed they were victims of political prosecution under President Biden.
Mr. Blanche rescinded the fund after two GOP senators threatened to block his confirmation if the administration moved forward with it. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to advance his nomination.
Both situations show appointees are casting aside Mr. Trump’s agenda and highlighting their independent streak. It also shows that Mr. Trump’s power over the Senate may be on the decline, as he has also failed to get the upper chamber to pass the SAVE America Act.
The legislation, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and an ID at the polls, is a top priority for the president. Last month, Mr. Trump refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill that gave the GOP a midterm talking point on the cost of living, as punishment for failing to pass the SAVE America Act.
The defeats have left Mr. Trump lashing out at his handpicked nominees. He said Monday that Ms. Pirro “choked” and openly disagreed with her conclusion that the botched rehab was the cause of damage to the pool.
“She folded like an umbrella,” Mr. Trump said of his longtime ally.
He also vented that the Anti-Weaponization Fund was scrapped, saying it could have helped people he said spent “years in prison” but did “absolutely nothing wrong.”
“These people were treated horribly and [the proposed fund] could have given them some solace,” he said, noting that 22 defendants from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot have since committed suicide.
One day after Mr. Blanche formally killed the fund, Mr. Trump got bogged down again trying to deal with Tehran as the Iran war enters its sixth month. Mr. Trump threatened a massive attack, but called it off, saying the regime’s leaders had entered peace talks. However, Tehran denied that any talks were taking place, and insisted the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway for oil tankers – will remain closed.
Mr. Trump took to Truth Social to call Iran’s leadership “unbelievably duplicitious.” He accused Iran of begging for talks only to turn around and insist they weren’t having talks.
The back-and-forth reflects a strategy Iran has employed throughout the war, denying Mr. Trump’s pronouncements and dragging out negotiations.
“The big issues for the president are the economy and the Iran war. So if the Iran war ends and the economy improves, he can overcome the recent problems. Those issues are much bigger than a daily news story, but it’s not clear if the economy will get better or the Iran war will end any time soon,” said Mr. West of the left-leaning Brookings Institution.
