Behind the Curtain: The cost of blind loyalty

According to Axios, President Trump is governing his second term with little patience for Congress, steamrolling his own party with escalating demands. He canceled a landmark housing bill signing just hours before the ceremony to pressure Republicans into passing a sweeping voter ID measure with no realistic path to passage. He dismissed that housing legislation—which his own White House had called one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history—as of minor importance. He's berated senators who voted to curb his Iran war powers and refused to brief Congress on his Iran deal until after it was public. But three Republicans he's previously humiliated are now fighting back: Senators Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, and John Cornyn are blocking nominees and resisting his legislative agenda. As Trump's power wanes toward the midterms, his grip on GOP loyalty may finally be slipping.

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