“We’re all going to die,” said Iowa senator Joni Ernst in a town hall meeting, vehemently defending Medicaid cuts made in the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ After backlash ensued, Ernst followed the statement up with a video set in a graveyard stating, “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. So, I apologize.” This unabashed support for cutting people off of life-saving medical treatment and backing the Trump administration was overshadowed by Ernst announcing she is no longer seeking reelection in 2026. This demonstrates an increasing trend amongst those that are furthering the Trump Administration’s causes the most—wanting to offer support without the repercussions from the public and to quit while they’re ahead without facing the music.
Instead of changing their practices, ICE doubles down on the actions that put them under fire by continuing large-scale raids and searches.
As ICE agents raid the streets of the United States’ major cities, they choose to cover their faces. According to the Department of Homeland Security, these masks are to prevent officers from being identified and doxxed. They recognize the disdain the American people have for ICE and the ever-growing fear and resistance towards their career. These ICE agents mask their faces and unsympathetically patrol on unwilling to engage with their adversaries. Instead of changing their practices, ICE doubles down on the actions that put them under fire by continuing large-scale raids and searches.
Other major figures on the right are running from their choices by willfully denying the problems they facilitated. In a recent interview, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett laughed at the idea of the United States being in a constitutional crisis despite voting to allow broad presidential immunity. This interview comes after Justice Coney Barrett ruled to allow ICE agents to profile people based on using their race, language , and whether they work a ‘low wage’ job. This decision essentially nullifies the 4th Amendment, which requires probable cause for search and seizure. The decisions the Supreme Court has made to expand the already bloated power of the executive, combined with Trump’s willingness to repeatedly test the bounds of his power have led to concern of Constitutional Crisis amongst the political science community. The cowardice of pretending not to understand what people on the left are talking about when discussing constitutional crises is more irritating than if they owned up to the corruption and the partisan politics that so clearly motivate their decisions.
Other major figures on the right are running from their choices by willfully denying the problems they facilitated.
Beneath the confident press conferences and united front, there is a deep fear. This fear surfaces as soon as the public demands answers. Nationally, Republican members of Congress have canceled town halls, plugging their ears to the voices they represent. Those associated with the Trump Administration know that voters will be upset at their perfect compliance with the Administration’s agenda. There is a dilemma between the fear of defying the Trump Administration and the will of the American people. MAGA backlash is a real problem facing long-standing members of the GOP. Senator Mitch McConnell has announced he is not seeking reelection in 2026, after forty-two years in the Senate. The eighty-three year old senator’s health has been questioned by the public in recent years but it is still pertinent that McConnell was one of the first Republicans to condemn the events of January 6th, 2021. As one of the most tenured senators and arguably the most impactful through his decades-long effort to create a conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court, McConnell is a more classic Republican. Despite this, he walked back his statements surrounding January 6th as far as to ultimately support Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. Regardless of his reason for not running, McConnell’s constituents in Kentucky see an aging senator who backed his way out of his one and only public criticism of Trump.
So far, most have decided to act in a midnight ambush against Democrats, then self-exile before getting caught in the crossfire.
Another example is Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has openly defied Trump and voted against the Republican agenda multiple times this year. He is not seeking reelection either. Tillis cited feeling unexcited at the thought of another term and is disillusioned with the state of American politics in an interview with NPR. The significant pushback from his Republican colleagues and the public he has faced in recent months likely contributed to his decision. No matter what elected Republicans do, they will be scrutinized because their actions will either be deeply unpopular with the masses or within the MAGA posse. When deciding between the two, many have opted to keep the peace with MAGA and avoid public interactions, exposing a fear of crossing the Trump Administration. So far, most have decided to act in a midnight ambush against Democrats, then self-exile before getting caught in the crossfire. These actions go beyond willful ignorance — they are a symptom of the discord the Trump Administration has sewn into the political climate and a lack of room for debate within the GOP.
Rachel Matel ’29 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at matel@wustl.edu.