The small cracks of dissent emerging in Trump's GOP
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As President Trump basks in his success in the Middle East, hairline fractures within his Republican base are cropping up on a smattering of domestic issues.
Why it matters: Republicans have been in near-lockstep with Trump in his second term. So the small pockets of resistance — on the National Guard deployments, free speech, the federal shutdown and more — signal concerns within the GOP as the 2026 midterms come into sight.
A sample of Republicans who've been pushing back:
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia: Once one of Trump's most loyal and outspoken supporters on Capitol Hill, Greene (along with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie) has been vocal in calling on the White House to release the Epstein files. And Greene has seemed to echo Democrats in chiding GOP congressional leaders over the shutdown.
- "I'm carving my own lane," Greene posted on X last week, adding that she was "absolutely disgusted" that health insurance costs for millions of Americans would soar if the GOP-led Congress doesn't extend the tax credits Democrats are demanding to end the shutdown.
2. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt: He told The New York Times that he disagreed with Trump's decision to send Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as part of the president's crackdown on crime. Stitt, like scores of Democrats, called it a violation of "states' rights."
- "Oklahomans would lose their mind" if Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) "sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration," Stitt said.
3. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox: He took to X over the weekend to express his unhappiness about the Trump administration canceling North America's largest solar power project, saying, "This is how we lose the AI/energy arms race to China."
4. Vivek Ramaswamy: The former GOP presidential candidate, now running for Ohio governor, made clear he disagreed with the administration's pressuring of ABC that led to the brief suspension of late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, a frequent Trump critic.
5. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas: He compared FCC chair Brendan Carr's implied threats to broadcasters such as ABC to mafia tactics, calling them "dangerous as hell."
- Cruz said he plans to introduce a bill to make it easier for people to sue the government for censorship.
6. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine: The senator, who's up for reelection next year, criticized White House budget director Russ Vought last week over his decision to permanently lay off thousands of federal workers during the shutdown.
- "Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important to serving the public," Collins said.
The other side: The criticisms have drawn the attention of MAGA supporters, including pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer.
- "So what's happening? Well, ingrate Republicans who attached themselves to Trump think they don't need him anymore or they are retaliating because he didn't endorse them," Loomer wrote in a Friday morning post on X.
What's next: Trump has been underwater in recent voter surveys — just 40% in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
- GOP strategists say Trump could get a polling bump from his historic peace accord in the Middle East, which could tamp down some critiques from within the party.
- But "if you're a Republican member in a district that's even remotely competitive, you have to have areas where you can show some distance" from Trump, said former Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican.
What they're saying: White House spokesperson Kush Desai dismissed the idea that the president is facing pushback within the GOP, saying it was "more united than ever under President Trump's leadership."
- "President Trump and congressional Republicans are working in lockstep to implement the agenda the American people voted for last November," Desai added.
