The Republican Party at large is increasingly turning away from President Donald Trump, and according to a new breakdown from the Los Angeles Times, there are at least five key reasons why.
Trump’s dwindling influence over the party he once commanded with an iron fist is increasingly out in the open for all to see, especially after Democrats saw massive gains in the most recent elections. Once die-hard allies like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are pushing back on his agenda more and more. Across various red states, GOP leaders are also abandoning Trump’s redistricting push, which aimed to help rig the 2026 midterms more in favor of Republicans.
The Times breakdown of why all this is happening now , hailing from contributor Matt K. Lewis, started with the “most obvious” reason: “Trump is now a lame duck, and everyone knows it.” Despite his public flirtations with the idea of an unconstitutional third term, Trump cannot stay in office past 2028, and the idea of aligning with his more and more unpopular agenda is spooking Republicans who want to stick around longer than him.
“Once politicians and influencers start imagining their post-Trump resumes, his spell over them shatters,” Lewis wrote.
The second reason, Lewis argued, is Trump’s unpopularity, which is becoming unavoidable. While he may have secured a slim popular vote victory in 2024, his approval rating is now in a nosedive, with a Reuters poll from earlier this week putting it at 38 percent.
The third reason put forward: Trump’s increasing isolation from his voters, typified by his lack of rallies compared to his first term.
“The Trump of 2016-2020 essentially crowdsourced his political instincts at rallies, where he learned to read the room like a comedian,” Lewis explained. “Now he’s physically isolated and increasingly out of touch with his base. His inner circle consists of ideologues and billionaires — people who don’t worry about the price of milk.”
The fourth reason, perhaps one that could explain the third, is the concern over his health and mortality. As Lewis noted, Trump was the oldest person ever elected president in 2024, and concerns about his health have not abated since he took office, spurred on by recent reports that he has received two physicals this year, “including an MRI no one will adequately explain (this is not part of a routine physical).”
Finally, Lewis argued as his fifth point that, despite its various victories over the last decade, Trump’s political coalition was always shaky at best, likening it to a game Jenga, with various factions brought together by his influence even though their goals and worldviews were not entirely compatible.
“It was a convenient alliance of disparate factions and individuals whose interests converged because Trump’s charisma (and lack of a coherent political worldview) was like the glue holding incompatible pieces together,” Lewis wrote. “But as that binding force weakens, the contradictions become clear, and open warfare is inevitable. For years now, Trump imposed peace the way an aging rock frontman keeps peace within a band. But once that star starts forgetting lyrics or showing up late, his bandmates start imagining solo careers.”