Trump 'at odds with GOP reality' as divided Republicans face 'heavy lift' of his priorities

U.S. President Donald Trump enters a vehicle upon arrival at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 5, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The growing turmoil and disunity among Republicans on Capitol Hill is poised to stall President Donald Trump’s ability to push political goals heading into the 2026 midterms, per a recent analysis from Politico.

Trump’s influence over the GOP suffered perhaps its largest setback yet on Tuesday evening, as the House voted 427-1 to approve a bill forcing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which the Senate also then approved unanimously. Though the president had changed his tune and supported the bill in days leading up to its passage, he had vigorously opposed it for months prior. Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican co-sponsor of the bill, suggested that Trump was attempted to save face by changing his stance.

Amid the ongoing fight for Epstein disclosure, even more turmoil has brewed within Trump’s MAGA coalition. Rep. Lauren Boebert consistently supported the release of more files, despite attempted intervention by the White House. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also supported the release as part of her ongoing break from Trump on numerous issues. That break has resulted in the president ending his endorsement of her and branding her a “traitor.”

Assessing the situation in a piece published Wednesday, Politico reporters Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill argued that Trump’s legislative aspirations for 2026 are increasingly “at odds with GOP reality,” citing division among the party. Given that Republicans hold only a five-seat majority in the House, they have almost no room for dissent within their own ranks, and with party officials increasingly willing to defy the president, his goals face a new uphill battle in Congress.

Politico’s analysis specifically cited the emerging conflict over healthcare. Subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire on Dec. 31, and House GOP leadership is pushing for the Trump-backed option of replacing or overhauling the system altogether.

Republicans in the House have already voiced frustration over how late this plan to replace Obamacare is emerging. Now, Carney and Hill argue that many will be skeptical over targeting the program, which has an approval rating of over 60 percent and could sink their chances in the crucial 2026 midterm elections.

“Tackling major GOP priorities on the economy and health care was already going to be a heavy lift,” the analysis surmised. “There are deep divisions among Republicans about their strategy ahead of the end-of-year expiration of some Affordable Care Act subsidies, and President Donald Trump is showing little appetite to cut a deal with Democrats.”

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