“Republicans have stood by Donald ‘Teflon’ Trump through thick and thin despite his scandals and gaffs, though the spirit of rebellion seems to be brewing in the 250th anniversary year of America’s founding”
Donald Trump was right when he said he could shoot somebody, and he wouldn’t lose any voters.
For years the “Teflon Trump” enigma persisted – just how could Trump be so unfazed by scandal that would be the ruin of any other president? Despite his 2020 election denialism, 34 felony convictions, failure to quell the Riot at the Capital and allegations of corruption (I know I’ve missed out many more), nothing quite seemed to derail the Republican’s momentum.
Little more than a year ago, Trump commanded complete loyalty from Republicans in Congress and boasted an undeniably impressive victory in the 2024 Presidential Election. Now in February 2026, we can see how far he has fallen.
In a bizarre move for someone so in tune with his voter base, Trump misread how vital the Epstein Files were to them. On the campaign trail he vowed to release documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, with his supporters clamouring to learn more about the convicted sex offender’s shady circles.
Trump’s bungled handling of the Epstein Files slowly bled support, with red state supporters raising more than one eyebrow when he branded the documents a “Democrat hoax”. Yet, the majority of elected Republicans stood by their man – though a rebellion was brewing.
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Once steadfast ally Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie broke ranks and sided with Democrats to force the release of the Epstein Files. The move was a humiliation for the White House, and reflected a growing dissatisfaction among Republicans.
Fast-forward a year into the second term and Trump’s popularity has plummeted among Americans. His bizarre beef with Denmark over Greenland, mayhem in Minneapolis and obsessive focus on remaking Washington DC in his own image saw his net approval rating sink to -18 last week.
An apparent two-tier economy where those less off suffer what they must and the rich consume ever more coupled with an unease at an immigration policy that so callously discards American lives, branding them “terrorists” without evidence, have, understandably, made many of his previous voters furious. While losing voters had been a cascading problem, Trump’s vice grip on the majority of elected Republicans remained firm.
Any criticism was rarely direct and was either so delayed or so limp, it did little to unsettle the White House.
That is no longer the case.
Yesterday, the White House shared a horrifically racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as gorillas.
White House officials held firm for a time, claiming the moment was a part of a larger Lion King spoof. Let’s pause for a moment, where are gorillas in The Lion King, and why is the White House wasting time with such nonsense?
Senior Republicans evidently asked the same question. No doubt aware of tanking approval ratings and special election thumpings ahead of the Midterms, brave right-wingers finally poked their head out of the trenches and fired criticism so direct, so piercing, it was impossible to ignore.
Senator Tim Scott branded the clip as “the most racist thing” out of this White House. Representative Mike Lawler chimed in: “The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive.” And as voices of discontent grew louder, the post was deleted – a stunning reversal from this haughty administration.
Rarely have Republicans flooded social media to hit out at the President or his White House so quickly, though it’s clear the dam is breaking. Eyes are now firmly on November, and Congressional Republicans know they will drown in the Midterms if they don’t challenge their captain’s course of action.
Expect the embers of Republican rebellion to grow into an almighty blaze in time. The Republicans have finally found their backbone just in time for America’s 250th anniversary – there might just be a lesson in there somewhere for the not so “Teflon Trump“.