President Donald Trump has taken the nation to unprecedented levels of chaos, yet he still appears supremely confident.
But there is something new for him to worry about, in addition to Democrats taking over control of the House of Representatives in January: He is losing the support of Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
In fact it appears that with each passing day, as he takes more reckless steps that endanger the country, more and more Republicans are turning against him, according to Axios.
GOP lawmakers this week have been openly expressing their concerns about Trump’s sudden, unilateral decision to pull troops from Syria. One very outspoken critic of this move was Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who has been one of Trump’s strongest supporters in the Senate. Many other senators were shocked when — on top of the Syria decision — Trump apparently asked his highly-regard Defense Secretary, James Mattis, to resign due to “policy differences.â€
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If he is losing the support of Republicans in the Senate that could eventually be a huge problem for the president.
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky criticized Trump for the Mattis departure, which he called “regrettable.†McConnell also said he was “distressed” about Mattis’ departure:
“It is regrettable that the president must now choose a new Secretary of Defense. But I urge him to select a leader who shares Secretary Mattis’s … principles.”
And he was joined by other GOP senators who also were strongly critical of the president’s moves. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said after the Mattis announcement: “This is a sad day for America.”
And Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake wrote:
“Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing. As long as [Mattis] served the president, reluctant Republicans could point to the Pentagon and say: If Mattis supports Trump, then so do I. They can no longer do that.”
Trump has been able to do whatever he wanted to do over the past two years as he has had compliant Republican majorities in Congress.
But when he has to work with a Democratic majority in the House everything will be different.
One former Trump aide said:
“Once Republican lawmakers start rebuking the president publicly like this over policy, it makes it easier for them to say: ‘It’s not just Mueller or ethics, there are other concerns. Then it’s a slippery slope.â€
There are reports coming out of the White House that insiders there are  assuming that Trump will be impeached by the Democratic House some time next year. If an impeachment trial goes to the Senate, Trump would need at least 34 Republicans to save him from conviction, which requires 67 votes.
But according to Axios co-founders Mike Allen and Jim VandeHe, support from GOP senators may be wavering.
“We talked all day yesterday with Republican officials, operatives and advisers who are truly scared for America,†they wrote.
At this critical point in our nation’s history, Donald Trump has put not just our nation at risk. He has also put his presidency at risk. And as we move into a new year, losing the support of Republicans in the U.S. Senate may be the biggest problem he has.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
