President Donald Trump may have sunk his standing with Republicans heading into the midterm season after he bullied Kristen Welker of NBC News on Sunday morning, according to one analyst.
Welker interviewed Trump in Wisconsin for "Meet the Press," where the two discussed the ongoing war in Iran, the Trump administration's $1.776 billion so-called "anti-weaponization fund," and the upcoming 2026 midterm election. During the interview, Trump became combative when Welker challenged his assertions about who could receive payments from the weaponization fund. The president became so angry that he abruptly ended the interview and stormed off set.
Saniqua McClendon, president of Vote Save America, told MS NOW's Alex Witt on Sunday that Trump may have pushed more Republicans away with the outburst.
"Donald Trump's a bully. He's been that before, throughout his 2016 campaign, before he got into the White House," she said. "Right now, he's used to manipulating the media to get what he wants. And typically, he spends a lot of time with right-wing media who just kind of praise him all day. That's most of what's in the White House press briefing room. He enjoys that when he can do these press conferences."
"So, if someone challenges him with the truth, he gets upset," she continued. "He's not used to being held accountable. But I think as we get toward the midterms and he gets into a lame-duck position, there are a lot fewer Republicans who are kind of coming around him. And so he's just out there by himself being a bully. And I do think it will start to have an impact, because a lot of these Republicans are going to be asked about his behavior ahead of the midterms. And then as we go into the primaries next year."
Trump's outburst happened at a time when Republicans seem open to going against Trump for the first time in nearly a decade. Last week, the House of Representatives voted to curb Trump's war powers in Iran. Republicans also joined Democrats to approve additional aid to Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression, a measure that Trump publicly opposed.
