A Republican is in the White House. Republicans also control both chambers of Congress. But, Republicans can’t seem to stop fighting against each other.
It may be a case of the old guard vs. the new guard. On one side, you have President Trump representing the new guard. And on the other, Senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Both have come out against Trump on different issues. Political analyst Jim McGrath says a lot of egos are in play here.
“Trump is completing a hostile takeover of the federal government. You’re seeing a couple of these power centers in Washington fighting back,” McGrath explained.
Will this infighting doom his Presidency? U-H political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus says Trump is trying to avoid that.
“It’s going to take a lot of effort for him to do that. That’s the first step. He’s doing that. He’s going in the direction he needs to go,” Rottinghaus explained.
But can he get his agenda done? McGrath says it's too early to write him off.
“He still has a mandate the he can go to Congress with in order to get results. The question is how effective will he and his team be in doing that,” McGrath said.
Especially if this infighting amongst Republicans continues.