President Donald Trump’s agenda is unraveling in real time because of his obsession with his growing quagmire in Iran, insiders have revealed.
A host of campaign promises have been shelved because of the focus on the conflict, which has entered its fourth month. Insiders have now said there’s a pervasive sense of “burnout,” and some wonder if a staff shake-up would inject a newfound rigor into the executive, according to Politico.
“The administration is all-consumed by this conflict. They’re pretty much in a funk with it—or fatigue—in that there’s nothing happening,” said one person close to the White House. “Even if there are wins, no one’s communicating them. There’s just no other play outside of—we are stuck in this quicksand of Iran.
“This is the first time that I’m even questioning, maybe he doesn’t have as much political capital as I thought he did, or they’re just not using it right in the right way.”
“You passed a Big Beautiful Bill. Crime is down. The border is secure,” another person close to the White House said. “They’re not out there selling what they’ve done.”
While Trump has tightened his hold on the GOP with the ousters of incumbent Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Senate Republicans remain no closer to passing the elections-focused SAVE America Act, which Trump has called his top legislative priority. Lawmakers have also yet to act on his push for bipartisan housing legislation or provide funding for his proposed White House ballroom project, including an underground bunker he argues is needed for security.
The administration also backed away Monday from its $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” following Republican resistance and a court setback handed down last week.
“Is this how MAGA ends—with a whimper, not a bang?” said Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House chief strategist. He added, however, that “Texas shows that the president still has all the juice—it needs to be applied starting with Thune’s removal.”
John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader, has stood in the way of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, much to the ire of Trump.
The president, meanwhile, continues to project a positive image. On Monday, he insisted that he was fine with Tehran’s decision to suspend talks with the U.S. after strikes hit Iranian targets.
“I don’t particularly want to talk either. We talk too much,” he told NBC News.
The White House, too, claims everything is fine. “President Trump can walk and chew gum at the same time,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
“It’s a shame that the media would rather push false ‘doom-and-gloom’ narratives than highlight all the administration is doing for families across the country, but President Trump remains focused on delivering on all of his promises for Americans while simultaneously ensuring Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
The White House has been approached for comment.
