Republican lawmakers are increasingly challenging US President Donald Trump in public, underlining growing frustration in the party ahead of midterm elections. One senator called for an investigation into Trump’s business dealings while in office, another criticized him for organizing a “lavish” state visit for China’s leader, and still others are frustrated over the administration’s war in Iran.
Trump’s own falling approval ratings alongside polls that show Democrats in the lead ahead of November’s midterms have likely emboldened politicians who were reluctant to criticize the president. Still, as Semafor’s congressional bureau chief noted, at least when it comes to Republican criticism of the Middle East conflict, “it’s one thing to criticize the war and another to vote against it.”