Republicans too scared to buck Trump even as his 'brand becomes increasingly toxic'

With Donald Trump's approval ratings cratering, gas prices soaring past $4.56 a gallon and Congress approval hitting record lows just months before the midterms, lawmakers anonymously confess they're still too scared of the president to distance themselves from the chaos.

MS NOW's Mychael Schnell reported Friday that elected republicans are still terrified of Trump's wrath, which was on full display this week in Indiana, where MAGA super PACs helped remove most of those who opposed the president's redistricting demands.

Republicans willing to speak frankly, but only anonymously, told Schnell that despite all of the problems with the country, the Republican base still supports Trump.

Trump “has a reputation of getting into fights with people," said one House Republican who is running in a swing district.

“When folks are going home and talking to their base, the base still seems to like the president, and so getting into a war with the guy doesn’t help anyone,” they said.

“Members of Congress right now are just trying to represent their districts and do the best they can for their constituents, and getting into a verbal fight or disagreement just isn’t helpful,” this Republican said. “Being at odds with the president right now, [prompting] negative comments, all those different things would have an impact.”

Another GOP congressional lawmaker called Trump a "force of nature," saying that he's capable of “wielding his bully pulpit unlike any other president ever has.”

“The president wields a lot of power and he’s not afraid to use it,” the same Republican added. “Maybe other presidents in the past have used some of the power, but it’s not been as public as this president has done and is willing to do.”

There is a slate of unpopular decisions Trump has made, such as demolishing the East Wing of the White House, arresting former FBI Director James Comey and picking a fight with Pope Leo XIV. He's drawn fire for posting images of himself depicted as Jesus Christ, and trolled activists with photos of himself and King Charles III, which he captioned "two kings."

When Trump posted an AI image of himself as the pope, Republicans were mum, but when he posted the photo of himself as Jesus, there were some rumbles of disapproval.

“Members are just picking and choosing their battles, and they’re the way when they battle, they usually work directly with the White House and get them resolved,” said a previously mentioned Republican official. “A lot of the public stuff, there’s not a lot you can do, and so at the end of the day, what you do as a member is you do your best for your constituents, you ignore some of the headaches going on with — with all the social media posts and the horrible messaging and just try to deliver for your constituents.”

Meanwhile, Democrats like Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Ca.) complain of Republicans inaction

"It’s a complete dereliction of their oath of office and just a betrayal of any semblance of integrity in public service. It’s horrible," he said to MS NOW.

He added that Republicans “are scared to death of Donald Trump. They feel powerless and feel like they just have to follow him over the cliff."

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