'The fever may be breaking' -- and Trump's hold on the GOP may be falling apart: CNN's Avlon

CNN's John Avlon on Friday said that there were increasing signs that President Donald Trump's tight grip on the Republican Party may be slipping from his grasp.

During his latest "Reality Check" segment, Avlon took stock of Republicans who have started distancing themselves from the president ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

"The fever may be starting to break," he observed. "Badly trailing in the polls and wounded by self-sabotage, there are signs that some Republicans are starting to back away from Donald Trump."

The CNN contributor then noted that Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently refused to say whether she was proud to support the president at a recent debate with Democratic rival Mark Kelly, which Avlon believes shows that the president's polling numbers in the state make him a political millstone.

"Turns out trump's a liability in Arizona with his repeated insults to Hispanics and the state's favorite son, John McCain," he said. "Sure, the base loves trump. But get this: Independents make up 32% of registered voters in Arizona, and trump has just a 37 percent approval among independents nationwide."

Avlon notes that GOP senators including Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) have also been struggling with how much they're going to stand by the president.

"Here's the deal: Donald Trump is a drag on the ticket," Avlon said. "He's been so focused on projecting strength to the base that it's obscured the fact that he's weak with the general electorate."

Watch the video below.