The Republicans are split on saving Donald Trump’s presidency: “This is not like any other midterm election”
“No president should drag this country into war alone”
It is highly likely that Republican senators will squash a resolution proposal by Democrat Chuck Schumer that seeks to force Donald Trump to get congressional approval to continue intervention in Iran. The New York lawmaker wants the text to be put to a vote when the Senate returns from its Easter break on Monday, April 13. “No president—whether Democrat or Republican—should lead this country into war alone. Not now, not ever,” he declared last Wednesday.
This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that Republicans bow down to Donald Trump. However, their silence is particularly striking given that military action in Iran is highly unpopular and their seats will be up for grabs in the midterm elections, which will see the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate renewed next November. Most of the Republican critical voices are coming from outside the Capitol: former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, influencers Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.
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The erosion of legislative powers in favor of the president is not a new phenomenon, especially in the realm of armed conflicts. To remember, Congress has not declared war, according to the constitution, since 1942. Since then, presidents have sometimes bypassed its approval for troop mobilization, as was the case in the Korean War (1950-1953). “The complexity of the 20th century, marked by the emergence of nuclear weapons and technological advancements, has necessitated an expansion of executive power while Congress has been too slow and deliberative. Furthermore, lawmakers lack electoral incentives to engage in foreign policy, as voters focus on internal and short-term issues like gas prices and eggs,” analyzes Seth Weinberger, a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Washington and specialist in war powers of Congress.
“They fear losing their position”
In the case of Iran, the almost unwavering support of Republican lawmakers for Donald Trump is largely due to the backing the conflict receives from a large part of the MAGA movement (“Make America Great Again”): 92% of those who identify with it are in favor, according to a recent CBS poll, as are 70% of non-MAGA Republicans. Even the prospect of war crimes and civilian targeting doesn’t bother them. “Republicans don’t challenge Trump because their voters don’t care about Iranian victims, as we saw with the bombing of the girls’ school in Iran at the beginning of the conflict. It didn’t provoke a strong reaction. Members of Congress fear losing their position if they oppose Trump, who has a magical hold over his supporters,” adds Seth Weinberger.
Republican lawmakers could influence the war if they wanted, for example by opposing additional funding. It’s a debate they can’t avoid: the government is planning to ask them for between $80 to $100 billion soon, according to the Washington Post. They have shown they can assert themselves, by supporting the release of the Epstein file (the financier pedophile close to the billionaire), by pushing his Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outâ€&#brvbar; But it remains little against a president who has also used national emergency laws to take radical measures such as imposing prohibitive tariffs, deploying troops on national territory, expelling migrantsâ€&#brvbar; “Congress has stopped caring. This is problematic because it allows one man to accumulate powers. That is dangerous,” concludes Seth Weinberger. This does not bode well for the parliament. According to Gallup, only 16% of Americans had a favorable opinion in February.
Donald Trump does everything to avoid losing the midterm elections
