The Fissures in Trump’s Power Structure Have Just Been Revealed
The events of the past week have challenged the prevailing narrative about the president, which portrayed him as a formidable political force capable of overpowering his party and extending his influence beyond it.
TroibNews 
The early months of President Donald Trump’s second term have featured dramatic power moves that challenge key elements of American institutional authority: diminishing the influence of large corporations, compelling elite law firms and prestigious universities to bow to his will, and pressuring long-standing international allies.
However, this week marked a significant turning point for Trump, as “the great grovel” — a term aptly coined by my boss, John Harris — appears to be encountering its boundaries for the first time since his comeback.
Just hours after advising anxious investors and voters to “BE COOL” while reaffirming his commitment to a global trade war, Trump unexpectedly shifted gears on Wednesday by pausing a portion of his extensive tariffs for a 90-day period.
Moments later, Speaker Mike Johnson had to retract a crucial budget vote because of a conservative backlash, despite Trump making repeated appeals to key dissenters.
This sequence of events powerfully undermined the prevailing narrative about Trump’s political dominance since November, which portrays him as an unstoppable force within his party, capable of imposing his will on nearly all issues, from economic strategies to Cabinet appointments. On Wednesday, Trump seemed to implicitly acknowledge the existence of checks on his authority: the financial markets and, if one looks closely enough, his own party.
Trump's decision on tariffs had a sudden yet not unforeseen quality. Following a week of market instability that affected stocks and, significantly, government bonds, Trump finally yielded after insisting for days that there would be no delays and that everyone should brace for a protracted and tumultuous global trade conflict.
"I know what the hell I'm doing,” Trump told a group of House Republicans Tuesday night, boasting that countries have been “kissing my ass” in attempts to negotiate trade deals.
Afterward, Trump's aides framed the pivot as part of a meticulously planned strategy. “This was his strategy all along,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarked, noting outreach from around 75 countries that were pleading with Trump for some form of tariff relief.
Yet it’s essential to take Trump seriously, both in action and words; he admitted to being rattled by the steep decline in Treasury prices — acknowledging a fact that is widely known yet rarely expressed by him: he is concerned about public perception.
“The bond market is tricky,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy … jumping a little bit.”
And it wasn’t just external observers who felt unease. A source close to the White House revealed that concerns about panic extending to government bonds, which are typically seen as safe during economic turbulence, played a crucial role in Trump's about-face.
However, it wasn’t just Wednesday's pivot that revealed vulnerabilities in Trump's political standing; a preceding week filled with critical headlines also contributed. The substantial coalition that propelled Trump back to the presidency began to weaken as his base reevaluated the repercussions of the shock tariffs.
Dissension became apparent among Trump's allies in Silicon Valley and Wall Street, with many openly resisting his aggressive protectionist stance. Influential advisor Elon Musk reportedly attempted to persuade Trump to ease off on tariffs, later criticizing top trade advisor Peter Navarro as “dumber than a sack of bricks.”
Supporter and hedge fund leader Bill Ackman cautioned Trump against inciting a “self-induced economic nuclear winter” and accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of benefitting from economic downturns. Discontent even reached the podcast hosts who had helped Trump engage a younger male audience during the 2024 campaign, including Barstool Sports’ David Portnoy, who claimed to have lost $20 million following the latest tariffs, and Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, who criticized the rollout as “about as bad a rollout as you can do.”
“The idea that this is inherently good and makes the American economy strong is wrongheaded,” Shapiro told his audience. “It’s untrue. The notion that it is going to lead to massive re-shoring of manufacturing is also untrue.”
Concerns also surfaced among pro-tariff economists aligned with the MAGA ideology. Oren Cass, connected to Vice President JD Vance, expressed his worries in a New York Times op-ed, endorsing Trump’s 10 percent global tariff but cautioning that the administration was moving too swiftly with additional “reciprocal” taxes that could result in “maximal disarray” in supply chains.
The perception of Trump losing his grip was further reinforced on Capitol Hill, where his control over the Republican Party seemed to wane. A bipartisan group of Republicans sided with Democrats to pass a Senate measure to reverse Trump's tariffs on Canada. Additionally, seven GOP senators — including strong Trump supporters like Rand Paul of Kentucky and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — jointly sponsored legislation aimed at limiting Trump's authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval.
Furthermore, House conservatives, who typically fell in line with Trump on virtually every issue — from re-electing Johnson as speaker to supporting spending bills they had previously denounced — drew a firm line on a critical budget vote, irate about not receiving the promised spending cuts.
Some even rejected Trump’s personal appeals. Representative Chip Roy of Texas informed Trump that he wouldn’t participate in a budget deal during a meeting at the White House, while Representative Andy Harris, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, declined to meet with him altogether.
Trump, for his part, seemed to misjudge his attempts to placate the holdouts. He publicly committed to seek $1 trillion in spending cuts over ten years — about half of what conservatives had demanded. At a Tuesday night NRCC dinner, he made remarks likely to irritate the fiercely ideologically driven conservatives: Just stop complaining and vote.
“Close your eyes and get there,” he urged. “It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding.”
The consequences were predictable: after a day of negotiations on Wednesday, which included extensive discussions with top leaders in both chambers, the dissenting representatives held firm, prompting Johnson to delay the vote and seek an alternative plan.
While the chaos following “Liberation Day” in the markets may have contributed to this growing apprehension, it’s important to remember a fundamental aspect of politics — public approval. A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Americans largely skeptical of Trump's tariff initiative, while a new Economist/YouGov poll indicated a five-point increase in disapproval of Trump’s job performance, reaching 51 percent, following last week’s announcement.
Trump's decision to reverse course on reciprocal tariffs may temporarily address the fallout. Indeed, several previously critical figures seemed to change their tone after Trump acted: “This was brilliantly executed,” Ackman remarked. “Textbook, Art of the Deal.”
But it remains to be seen whether this will hold. Although Trump may contemplate a third presidential run, most Republicans understand that he won’t face voters again — they will. As they observe signs of vulnerability, as witnessed this week, even the staunchest MAGA supporters may start to reassess their loyalties.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
However, this week marked a significant turning point for Trump, as “the great grovel” — a term aptly coined by my boss, John Harris — appears to be encountering its boundaries for the first time since his comeback.
Just hours after advising anxious investors and voters to “BE COOL” while reaffirming his commitment to a global trade war, Trump unexpectedly shifted gears on Wednesday by pausing a portion of his extensive tariffs for a 90-day period.
Moments later, Speaker Mike Johnson had to retract a crucial budget vote because of a conservative backlash, despite Trump making repeated appeals to key dissenters.
This sequence of events powerfully undermined the prevailing narrative about Trump’s political dominance since November, which portrays him as an unstoppable force within his party, capable of imposing his will on nearly all issues, from economic strategies to Cabinet appointments. On Wednesday, Trump seemed to implicitly acknowledge the existence of checks on his authority: the financial markets and, if one looks closely enough, his own party.
Trump's decision on tariffs had a sudden yet not unforeseen quality. Following a week of market instability that affected stocks and, significantly, government bonds, Trump finally yielded after insisting for days that there would be no delays and that everyone should brace for a protracted and tumultuous global trade conflict.
"I know what the hell I'm doing,” Trump told a group of House Republicans Tuesday night, boasting that countries have been “kissing my ass” in attempts to negotiate trade deals.
Afterward, Trump's aides framed the pivot as part of a meticulously planned strategy. “This was his strategy all along,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarked, noting outreach from around 75 countries that were pleading with Trump for some form of tariff relief.
Yet it’s essential to take Trump seriously, both in action and words; he admitted to being rattled by the steep decline in Treasury prices — acknowledging a fact that is widely known yet rarely expressed by him: he is concerned about public perception.
“The bond market is tricky,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy … jumping a little bit.”
And it wasn’t just external observers who felt unease. A source close to the White House revealed that concerns about panic extending to government bonds, which are typically seen as safe during economic turbulence, played a crucial role in Trump's about-face.
However, it wasn’t just Wednesday's pivot that revealed vulnerabilities in Trump's political standing; a preceding week filled with critical headlines also contributed. The substantial coalition that propelled Trump back to the presidency began to weaken as his base reevaluated the repercussions of the shock tariffs.
Dissension became apparent among Trump's allies in Silicon Valley and Wall Street, with many openly resisting his aggressive protectionist stance. Influential advisor Elon Musk reportedly attempted to persuade Trump to ease off on tariffs, later criticizing top trade advisor Peter Navarro as “dumber than a sack of bricks.”
Supporter and hedge fund leader Bill Ackman cautioned Trump against inciting a “self-induced economic nuclear winter” and accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of benefitting from economic downturns. Discontent even reached the podcast hosts who had helped Trump engage a younger male audience during the 2024 campaign, including Barstool Sports’ David Portnoy, who claimed to have lost $20 million following the latest tariffs, and Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, who criticized the rollout as “about as bad a rollout as you can do.”
“The idea that this is inherently good and makes the American economy strong is wrongheaded,” Shapiro told his audience. “It’s untrue. The notion that it is going to lead to massive re-shoring of manufacturing is also untrue.”
Concerns also surfaced among pro-tariff economists aligned with the MAGA ideology. Oren Cass, connected to Vice President JD Vance, expressed his worries in a New York Times op-ed, endorsing Trump’s 10 percent global tariff but cautioning that the administration was moving too swiftly with additional “reciprocal” taxes that could result in “maximal disarray” in supply chains.
The perception of Trump losing his grip was further reinforced on Capitol Hill, where his control over the Republican Party seemed to wane. A bipartisan group of Republicans sided with Democrats to pass a Senate measure to reverse Trump's tariffs on Canada. Additionally, seven GOP senators — including strong Trump supporters like Rand Paul of Kentucky and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — jointly sponsored legislation aimed at limiting Trump's authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval.
Furthermore, House conservatives, who typically fell in line with Trump on virtually every issue — from re-electing Johnson as speaker to supporting spending bills they had previously denounced — drew a firm line on a critical budget vote, irate about not receiving the promised spending cuts.
Some even rejected Trump’s personal appeals. Representative Chip Roy of Texas informed Trump that he wouldn’t participate in a budget deal during a meeting at the White House, while Representative Andy Harris, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, declined to meet with him altogether.
Trump, for his part, seemed to misjudge his attempts to placate the holdouts. He publicly committed to seek $1 trillion in spending cuts over ten years — about half of what conservatives had demanded. At a Tuesday night NRCC dinner, he made remarks likely to irritate the fiercely ideologically driven conservatives: Just stop complaining and vote.
“Close your eyes and get there,” he urged. “It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding.”
The consequences were predictable: after a day of negotiations on Wednesday, which included extensive discussions with top leaders in both chambers, the dissenting representatives held firm, prompting Johnson to delay the vote and seek an alternative plan.
While the chaos following “Liberation Day” in the markets may have contributed to this growing apprehension, it’s important to remember a fundamental aspect of politics — public approval. A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Americans largely skeptical of Trump's tariff initiative, while a new Economist/YouGov poll indicated a five-point increase in disapproval of Trump’s job performance, reaching 51 percent, following last week’s announcement.
Trump's decision to reverse course on reciprocal tariffs may temporarily address the fallout. Indeed, several previously critical figures seemed to change their tone after Trump acted: “This was brilliantly executed,” Ackman remarked. “Textbook, Art of the Deal.”
But it remains to be seen whether this will hold. Although Trump may contemplate a third presidential run, most Republicans understand that he won’t face voters again — they will. As they observe signs of vulnerability, as witnessed this week, even the staunchest MAGA supporters may start to reassess their loyalties.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
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