‘I am tired of amateur hour’: Republicans begin to test the limits of Trump’s power |
‘I am tired of amateur hour’: Republicans begin to test the limits of Trump’s power
June 4, 2026 — 5:30pm
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Washington: On a tour through Asia last year, US President Donald Trump took a moment on the world stage to celebrate a legislative victory at home: after months of iron-fisted pressure, he had compelled Republicans to pass legislation that cut taxes and slashed into the country’s social safety net.
“I said, ‘Put it all into one bill, and if we get it done, we’re done for four years,’” Trump said during a Tokyo speech in October. “We don’t need anything more from Congress in terms of that.”
Ever since, Trump has been intent on testing that theory, daring lawmakers to defy him and doing his best to vanquish them from office if they do. But after a retributive romp through primary season, Trump’s style of governing – unilateral, and often impatient – has collided with restive Republicans who seem to be exacting some political vengeance of their own.
On Wednesday evening (Washington time), four House Republicans sided with Democrats to demand that Trump withdraw US forces from the conflict with Iran or win approval from Congress, rebuking a president who has repeatedly said he does not need congressional authorisation to continue the conflict.
That came on the heels of another high-profile setback: a Republican revolt against a $US1.8 billion ($2.5 billion) fund to reward Trump supporters who claim political persecution by Democrats. Many Republican senators had indicated they would not move forward with plans to fund Trump’s immigration agenda unless those plans were axed. This week, acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche said........