Trump’s power ‘essentially’ finished after 'shooting himself in the foot': GOP staffer
President Donald Trump celebrated his record this week in endorsing winning candidates – endorsements typically made to oust his perceived GOP enemies – but in doing so, he has “essentially” turned himself into a “lame-duck” president devoid of any real power for the remainder of his term, one GOP Senate adviser has warned.
The adviser, who spoke with The Atlantic in its analysis published on Friday under the condition of anonymity, named the president’s “pursuit of retribution” as the key driver in what The Atlantic described as his “political decline,” a dynamic exacerbated by the shrinking number of people within Trump’s orbit willing to push back on his “personal priorities.”
“The problem is he has nobody around him who is willing to tell him, ‘Sir, the stuff you are talking about is not possible, and you are shooting yourself in the foot every time,’” the adviser said. “He essentially has lame-ducked himself in pursuit of retribution, and either the staff has failed to make a reasonable argument against these actions, or they have told him this and he is no longer listening.”
Trump’s endorsement record in the 2026 primary season has been 100%, as reported by Fox News, with all 101 U.S. House candidates backed by Trump winning their respective elections. Trump also has a 100% rate of success in endorsing Senate and gubernatorial candidates during the 2026 primary season.
In doing so, however, Trump has booted out Republicans that may have been willing to push back on Trump’s priorities that critics say appear out-of-step with the economic challenges facing most Americans – priorities such as the White House ballroom or his taxpayer-funded $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.
“For months now, Republicans have fervently hoped that Trump’s focus would shift to issues that could help the party in November,” The Atlantic’s analysis reads.
“Instead, he has been consumed with an Iran peace agreement and with his projects: new paint for the Reflecting Pool, a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, the conversion of a Washington, D.C., public golf course into championship links, and, of course, the ballroom. The economy? Not so much.”