Panicking Republicans hit 'point of no return' as they see Trump lied to them: reporter

Republicans in Congress have given up hoping the Iran war ends before the midterms, according to MS NOW congressional reporter Mychael Schnell. She says some of them now expect a loss and are only guessing at how big it will be.

"We're going to get crushed. The only question is by how much?" one House Republican told her.

On MS NOW Saturday, Schnell said Republicans used to believe there was still time for the war to end and for gas prices to come down before Election Day, something Trump himself promised. She said they don't believe that anymore.

"They've kind of gotten to the point of no return," she said. "There is no sign of the Iran war ending anytime soon. No sign of an off ramp."

She said Republicans see high gas prices, which she called "a direct result of the Iran war," as their biggest weakness. Trump has told his party to act as though he's on the ballot. Schnell said that approach isn't working with the president at record-low approval.

Some Republicans have started to break away. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) called for a ban on diesel exports but voted against the war powers bill. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) criticized the administration's immigration enforcement. In Florida, Byron Donalds' campaign website for governor has dropped nearly every mention of Trump's endorsement. His campaign said the change was meant to keep the focus on policy.

Former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo called the party's position "survival mode."

Axios congressional reporter Kate Santaliz said the breaks so far are limited, and most Republicans are still voting against war powers resolutions.

"It's not this dam break," she said.

Schnell said Republicans waited until after the primaries to speak up because they had seen Trump take out incumbents like Sen. Bill Cassidy. Now, with people already voting, she said they're trying to "throw everything against the wall and see what sticks."