Looming deadline marks 'the beginning of the end for Trump'

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has appeared increasingly desperate to end the war he started with Iran two months ago. While he has tried to impart a sense of calm, claiming he is “not in a rush” and under “no pressure” to make a deal, his insistence plus reports of shouting from the Oval Office suggest that he is feeling the strain. Part of that stress, writes the iPaper, likely comes from a looming deadline that could mean “the beginning of the end for Trump.”

May 1st will mark 60 days since Trump notified Congress of his offensive actions against Iran, and by law, he is then required to obtain congressional approval to continue the war. Absent of that, he is only authorized to continue hostilities for another 30 days, and only in the context of leveraging defensive operations to cover the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

So this puts congressional Republicans in a bind. On one hand, many recognize that the war is unpopular and perhaps unwinnable. On the other, they have been reluctant to draw Trump’s anger by voting to rein him in via a War Powers Resolution, so have rejected it with some misgivings. At the 60 day deadline, however, they will be forced to explicitly vote to either continue the war or end it, and “any Republicans worried about holding their seat at the midterms, or with ambitions on higher political office in the future, might be reluctant to sacrifice their future career for a lame-duck president.”

Up until now, most Republicans have backed the president’s agenda out of basic self-interest. Without his endorsement, they feared they would lose primaries or funding. But with public opinion firmly against the war and Trump’s approval rating at a historic low, some may see the era of Trump coming to a close and be willing to show opposition to policies they know will bite them in the midterms.

“The trouble for the President is that increasingly, he’s losing,” concludes the iPaper. “He seems, somehow, to be losing his war with Iran. He’s losing control of prices at home. He’s losing popularity. And he’s set to lose the midterms. Republicans will have all of that in mind when the 60-day deadline arrives. Trump could soon lose control of his party, too.”

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