Retiring Republicans sick of being 'slaves to the 47th president': report

Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for a state visit to Britain, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., September 16, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque

Intelligencer columnist Ed Kilgore says there’s a clear reason for the dramatic exodus of House lawmakers this year, particularly those serving alongside President Donald Trump in the Republican Party.

“Even in safe seats, you have to beware a primary opponent, particularly if you are a Republican who has somehow forgotten to bow down to Donald Trump once after breakfast and twice before supper,” said Kilgore.

At this time, 51 U.S. House and nine U.S. senators out of 35 up for reelection are bowing out of the race this year. This is the most combined House and Senate retirements in the 21st century and well over average generally, said Kilgore. But these numbers are probably set to go even higher still, especially given the national gerrymandering war Trump kicked off in Texas last year.

For Democrats, it’s the weariness of being a powerless minority party that Trump and Republicans are happy to trample to pass filibuster-proof omnibus bills, like Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill currently besieging state budgets this legislative session. But Republicans — who should be crowing in victory every waking morning — are feeling something entirely different.

“Republicans are frustrated by the constant pressure to yield ancient congressional prerogatives to Trump’s relentless drive for expanded presidential powers,” said Kilgore. “And even House Republicans in safe seats understand the high odds that Democrats will flip control of the chamber in November. Bad as it is to be in the House majority in the Trump era, it would be a major demotion into deeper irrelevancy to be in the House minority while remaining slaves to the 47th president.”

Unless you’re using your inside knowledge to game economic markets or other ethically-questionable things, you’re likely not getting too rich, said Kilgore. Plus, nobody loves you, said Kilgore.

“All in all, it’s a terrible job that doesn’t deserve or earn much respect,” Kilgore said. “At the end of 2025 Gallup pegged Congress’s job approval ratio at 17 percent positive and 80 percent negative. Congressional job approval hasn’t been as high as 40 percent since 2004.

The job “sucks,” said Kilgore, who recalled working for a U.S. senator who held an absolutely safe seat and considerable seniority — but who still retired at the relatively young age of 58.

The option, the senator told Kilgore, was to “get out in time to do something else of value or ‘stay here til I die.’”

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