In this PJ Media article, David Manney argues that President Trump’s biggest obstacle is not only Democratic opposition, but also Republican senators who undercut or complicate his agenda from within.
- Trump specifically called out Sens. Mitch McConnell and Lisa Murkowski from the Oval Office as examples of Republicans who make it harder to advance his priorities.
- Manney notes that McConnell is no longer Senate GOP leader, but still has influence as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
- The article portrays McConnell as a symbol of old-guard Republican reluctance, especially when Trump needs party unity.
- Murkowski is criticized for being the only Republican to vote with Democrats against a $70 billion immigration enforcement package funding ICE and Border Patrol.
- The bill passed 52–47, but Manney argues the fight exposed how even a few Republican defections can turn a governing moment into an internal GOP battle.
- Sens. Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy are also mentioned as Republicans who complicated the process during debate over a disputed $1.776 billion fund tied to government weaponization claims.
- The article compares these moments to John McCain’s 2017 thumbs-down vote that helped sink Obamacare repeal, framing it as a warning about Republicans breaking promises at the decisive moment.
- Manney’s larger point is that Trump’s second term requires speed, discipline, and reliable Republican votes, because Democrats, courts, and bureaucrats are already expected to resist.
- The piece concludes that “the swamp” does not always wear a Democratic label; sometimes it operates through Republicans invoking procedure and institutional norms at critical moments.
Read the full story: https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/06/11/mcconnell-and-murkowski-remind-trump-what-hes-up-against-n4953886
At last, a conservative news aggregator that does not bow to the woke right.
