Trump Faces 2026 Lame-Duck Talk as GOP Rebukes $1.8 Billion Fund and Iran War

1 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 10

Seventeen months into his second term, Trump is confronting fresh signs of weakening leverage as some Republicans join Democrats to oppose parts of his agenda ahead of November’s midterms.
In the past two weeks, lawmakers rebuked him over the Iran war, rejected $1 billion tied to a White House ballroom and forced a retreat on a $1.8 billion fund for allies claiming politicized prosecution.
The pressure comes as Trump turns 80 on Sunday, with scrutiny of his stamina rising after polls showed broad concern about his temperament and mental sharpness.
Trump still holds sway in Republican primaries and can act through executive orders, but losing one or both chambers in November could accelerate the lame-duck dynamic his aides say he wants to avoid.