Trump’s Grip Over The GOP Shows Signs Of Slipping

August 24, 2026 2:16 PM ET For years, President Donald Trump has kept the vast majority of Republicans — whether in Congress, the Senate, governors’ mansions, or state legislatures — on a short, tight leash. He was the de facto kingmaker (who perhaps still is) of a MAGA-controlled GOP, promising to exact political revenge against any prominent Republican he deemed a “RINO” and had bucked his agenda. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie were both recently on the receiving end of bitter primaries driven by the president and Trump World insiders. Although both lawmakers were extreme examples of Republicans turning on Trump, two other GOPers are testing the waters by directly contradicting the president on what is perhaps his most important and consequential domestic policy outside of immi