Trump’s DOJ Wants to Charge Alleged Kirk Killer With Bizarre Crime

But early indicators — like a healthy dose of special elections last year — suggest that the national backlash against Trump’s second-term agenda may be worse than usual for the party. Democrats made surprising gains in unexpected parts of the country, including Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Republicans appear to be on the verge of panic. Worried about the midterm elections, the White House spent months trying to pressure red states to change their congressional positions in order to win a handful of congressional seats. But so far, the pressure campaign has backfired: On Thursday, Indiana state senators voted overwhelmingly against the effort, citing Trump’s open threats and crude remarks as justification.

Gruters’ comments also caused a stir. The Heritage Foundation news site, City hallblasted The Bulwark for first publishing Gruters’ opinion, saying “the story is FALSE” because the publication removed Gruters’ words to eliminate his supposed faith in the caucus. But in doing so, Townhall cut short Gruters’ conclusion: “We face almost certain defeat,” he said.