Donald Trump teed up for very bad day after 'two defeats in two hours'

President Donald Trump walks as he arrives at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Donald Trump and his administration are set for a rougher day than expected on Wednesday, with Politico reporting that "two major defeats" show signs of a "rocky road ahead for the White House."

"Two defeats in two hours tee up a difficult day for the White House," Politico reported.

The first defeat came on Tuesday night, when, in a significant upset, several Republicans broke ranks to vote against a measure that would have restricted Congress's ability to rein in Trump's tariffs. The ability to issue tariffs has long been reserved for Congress. Still, Trump, under a legally dubious "emergency" reasoning, seized the authority for himself, inflicting widespread instability on global trade and price hikes on goods for everyday consumers.

The measure, which would have blocked votes on disapproving of the tariffs through July, failed in the House 217-214, with noted Trump critic Thomas Massie of Kentucky being joined by Kevin Kiley of California and Don Bacon of Nebraska in voting against it, alongside every Democrat.

"I don’t think that the House should be limiting the authority of members and enlarging the power of leadership at the expense of our members,” Kiley said about his vote. “That’s what this does, so I think it’s important for the House as an institution."

While the vote does not in any way curb Trump's current tariff schemes, it represents some of the most significant pushback against them from Congress and leaves the door open for further rebukes in the future. Politico noted that the GOP's shrinking majority and the general mood in the House mean that an impending measure from Democrat Gregory Meeks of New York to overturn tariffs on Canada seems "all but certain" to prevail.

Elsewhere, Trump's other major loss came only a few hours before that vote during a legal battle, in which "Trump’s DOJ tried — and failed — to secure a grand jury indictment against the six Democratic members of Congress who made a video urging the U.S. military not to follow illegal orders," per Politico.

The video sparked a vicious backlash from the White House, with Trump accusing the six lawmakers of sedition, and calling for them to face criminal trials and execution. The Pentagon singled out Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for investigation, censuring him while also seeking to potentially demote him in retirement.

"We already knew the FBI was making inquiries — but the whole thing escalated rapidly yesterday as the DOJ moved to secure an indictment," Politico detailed. "And then, just as we’ve seen with several other weak-looking legal cases put forward by this DOJ over recent months, the grand jury rejected the proposal out of hand."

The report continued: "With pitch-perfect timing, into this angry fray this morning steps AG Pam Bondi, who is due before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. to answer questions about her department. You’d imagine her attempt to jail six opposition members of Congress for making a video is likely to come up."

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