Trump Senate Federal

Gas Prices Crack Trump's Base as Institutions Push Back

Republican support for President Trump's economic handling has fallen 15 percentage points — from 78% to 63% — in just four months, according to AP-NORC polling. The decline tracks directly with national average gas prices topping $4.50 per gallon, a threshold that historically triggers voter backlash against incumbent administrations regardless of whether presidents bear direct responsibility for global energy markets.

Congressional Republicans are meanwhile resisting some of Trump's more aggressive institutional demands. Senate Majority Leader Thune directly rejected the president's call to fire the Senate parliamentarian, the official who enforces rules governing what legislation may pass through budget reconciliation. Thune's stand signals that at least some Senate Republicans are willing to preserve procedural norms under White House pressure.

A more acute constitutional controversy erupted in San Antonio, where ICE agents appeared at the Las Palmas Branch Library — one of 50 active early-voting sites for the May 26 runoff — during an ongoing election. Sheriff Javier Salazar ordered the agents to leave. The Justice Department maintains clear guidelines restricting federal law enforcement activity near polling locations specifically to prevent the appearance of voter intimidation.

Elsewhere in domestic politics, Democratic leadership including Minority Leader Jeffries and Representative Ocasio-Cortez denounced congressional candidate Maureen Galindo for antisemitic statements ahead of the TX-35 runoff. A separate civil liberties case yielded an $835,000 settlement for a man who spent 37 days in jail over a Facebook meme, establishing significant precedent on government liability for digital free-speech violations. California Governor Newsom is pressing the Trump administration for $15.7 billion in wildfire aid, testing whether partisan divisions will complicate federal disaster relief — traditionally a nonpartisan obligation.