Charlie Sykes: “It almost felt like a unicorn sighting: Republicans on Capitol Hill openly defying Trump and (if one did not know them better) taking principled stands of independence. The change in the political mood was head-snapping; just days earlier, Trump was celebrating his latest victory in his revenge tour as he tightened his grip on the party. Puffed up with the wins, Trump clearly expected Republicans to react in the usual way: by cringing and fawning. He brandished the heads of Thomas Massie and Bill Cassidy as he threatened congressional Republicans, rolled out his most brazen bits of corruption, and — in a moment of pure political snit — endorsed Texas AG Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn…”
“But this week, Trump crossed an invisible line, and for the first time in the Trump Restoration, GOP senators and reps seem genuinely pissed at the president; and willing to break with him on issues that Trump cares about deeply.”
