Topline
President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge he’s losing support among some Senate Republicans as resistance to his White House ballroom project and “anti-weaponization” fund grows—even as his clout among Republican voters appears to remain intact, evidenced by several recent midterm election wins.
President Donald Trump looks on during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Trump said “I don’t know, I really don’t know, I only do what’s right,” when asked by a reporter Thursday if his support among Senate Republicans is slipping.
Trump is facing pushback from growing groups of Republican lawmakers over his request for $1 billion in security funding for his White House ballroom project and the $1.8 billion fund for people who believe they’ve been wronged by the government.
The resistance comes despite a string of midterm primary victories among his endorsed candidates, including successfully defeating incumbents who have opposed him, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
There’s speculation Trump’s midterm campaign could backfire both by angering sitting lawmakers and making it harder for those who are up for reelection to win their races—scenarios that could further hamstring Trump’s legislative agenda.
Trump’s endorsement earlier this week of Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff angered some of Cornyn’s Senate colleagues and Republicans who believe Cornyn had a better chance of beating Democrat James Talarico.
This is a developing story and will be updated.