GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump faces a dangerous erosion of support among rank-and-file Republicans thanks to a series of jarring recent moves that have alienated even some close GOP allies. From his defense of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince over the murder of a dissident journalist to his abrupt decision to pull American troops out of Syria to his demand for a government shutdown, Trump has been angering friendly lawmakers, leading some who typically kept their disagreements to themselves to speak up. The trend could prove perilous for the president after Democrats assume control of the House in January. Should the House vote to impeach Trump, he will have to rely on an increasingly exasperated Senate GOP conference to prevent him from being thrown out of office. Trump has always focused on pleasing his political base, governing with an eye more toward unifying Republicans rather than the country as a whole. For much of his presidency, the strategy worked: Both his core supporters and Republicans in general supported his withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, ditching the Iran nuclear deal, and confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, to howls of protest from Democrats.”
–Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett, “Trump sees dangerous cracks in Hill GOP support,” Politico, December 21, 2018 10:50 pm