Republicans break with Trump over 'final straw'

On Thursday, following a war resolutions vote that saw an unusual number of Republicans break rank and side with Democrats in an attempt to end the conflict with Iran, an expert from a leading think tank asserted that the issue may be “ending” the presidency of President Donald Trump once and for all. While the vote failed due to a single Democratic defector, Brookings Institution Fellow Jessica Riedl said the Republican defections were telling.

“We may be witnessing the Iran war (and gas prices) as a final straw essentially ending Trump's presidency,” posted Riedl, who served as Chief Economist for former Republican Senator Rob Portman. “Most lame duck presidents see their own party usually move on around this time (see Bush with Katrina). It seems like Iran is where the dam finally broke with Trump.”

The resolution – which would have directed Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the war – was passed by the House in July in a 214-208 vote, with four Republican lawmakers backing it. Then on Thursday, writes the Hill, “Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Thursday voted for the war powers resolution for the first time, joining GOP Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Rand Paul (KY), who have voted for previous resolutions directing Trump to end the war.” The effort was defeated after “centrist Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), an ardent supporter of Israel, was the only Democrat to vote against it.”

“Tillis said the conflict has dragged on for too long without congressional authorization and argued it has become a serious political liability for GOP candidates because of its impact on gas, diesel and fertilizer prices,” reports the Hill. “We’re reaching a point to where we just need answers. We got to know what success looks like,” said Tillis, adding that there has been a “consistently downward-trending negative reaction” from the public since the first strikes against Iran in February. “We don’t know how long it’s going to go,” he continued. “So, we’re afraid it could be a forever war. It’s a war that’s obviously hurting people economically. Why are we doing this? What is the goal?” According to the Hill, “Polls show support for the war dropping among Republicans. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS of 1,206 U.S. adults nationwide this month found that support among self-identified Republicans has dropped by more than 10 percentage points since March.”

While experts like Riedl see the Republican defections as a growing sign of Trump’s decline, the fact that the broader party voted to continue the war has not gone unnoticed, which is an unpopular stance considering the looming midterms. As Republican strategist Rina Shah noted, “Most Americans want this war ended. Congressional Republicans just voted to keep it anyway.”