193. Trump’s on a Losing Streak - Have Republicans Had Enough?

Summary of 193. Trump’s on a Losing Streak - Have Republicans Had Enough?

by Goalhanger

44m•June 4, 2026
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Overview of 193. Trump’s on a Losing Streak - Have Republicans Had Enough?

This episode of The Rest Is Politics US argues that Donald Trump is running into meaningful resistance—not necessarily from a newly courageous Republican Party, but from courts, institutions, and a few senators finally drawing lines on the most blatant examples of Trumpism. Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci also examine the Democratic dilemma in Maine, where candidate Graham Platner’s scandals raise the question of whether character still matters in American politics or whether voters now prioritize authenticity, ideology, and electability over personal conduct.

Trump’s Recent Setbacks

The “slush fund” backpedal

  • The hosts focus on the rollback of Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which they frame as a slush fund for loyalists and allies.
  • Katty Kay sees this as a real political loss for Trump, driven by Republican discomfort and broader public backlash.
  • Scaramucci argues this is an example of Washington incrementalism: Trump may lose on one visible front, but still preserve other advantages behind the scenes.

The bigger question: is Trumpism weakening?

  • They discuss whether these setbacks represent the end of Trumpism or simply the system doing its job.
  • Their conclusion: the American system is holding, but that does not necessarily mean the Republican Party has fundamentally changed.
  • They compare this to prior false alarms about Trump’s downfall after:
    • Access Hollywood
    • January 6
    • the 2022 midterms
    • criminal indictments

Republican Pushback Inside Washington

John Thune’s role

  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune is presented as a relatively traditional, centrist Republican who does not fully align with Trump.
  • He is described as more respectable and institution-minded than many Trump allies, and increasingly willing to resist Trump on specific issues.
  • Still, both hosts note that Thune and others have spent a long time accommodating Trump, so the GOP’s pushback feels late and limited.

Bill Pulte and the “acting” strategy

  • The episode highlights Bill Pulte as a key example of Trump’s loyalty-first approach.
  • Pulte is described as:
    • a hardcore Trump loyalist
    • someone with no real intelligence or national security background
    • a political attack dog who has used government roles to go after Trump’s enemies
  • Trump has nominated him in an acting capacity for a top intelligence role, which the hosts see as a way to bypass Senate resistance while keeping control.
  • The hosts argue Trump likes acting appointments because they are easier to manipulate and replace.

What Trump is really trying to do

  • Scaramucci says Trump’s strategy is about:
    • loyalty maximalization
    • controlling institutions
    • flooding the media with chaos
    • using distractions to obscure what he and his family are taking from power
  • He argues the public is being anesthetized by constant scandal and noise while corruption continues underneath.

Trump’s Health and Secrecy

Why they keep revisiting Trump’s health

  • The episode briefly tees up the show’s separate series on the truth about Trump’s health, including:
    • physical condition
    • cognitive ability
    • doctor’s letters and medical transparency
  • They stress that Trump is 80 years old and holds one of the most stressful jobs in the world.
  • The hosts frame his health not as gossip, but as a legitimate public-interest issue.

History of misleading medical messaging

  • They revisit the well-known 2015 letter from Trump’s doctor, Harold Bornstein, which claimed Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
  • They note that Bornstein later said Trump dictated the letter himself.
  • Their broader point: presidents often conceal health issues, and Trump’s case may be especially opaque.

The Maine Senate Race and Graham Platner

Platner’s scandal problem

  • The second half turns to Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine.
  • New allegations surfaced that he had been sexting multiple women in the early years of his marriage before launching his Senate run.
  • This adds to earlier controversies:
    • a Nazi tattoo he claimed not to have realized was Nazi-related
    • past misogynistic comments
  • Democrats are now faced with a choice between:
    • character and vetting
    • or simply winning the seat at all costs

Democrats’ dilemma

  • Senior Democrats like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Chuck Schumer are portrayed as circling the wagons around Platner because they want to beat Susan Collins.
  • The hosts ask whether Democrats are now willing to adopt Trump-like logic:
    • character no longer matters
    • scandals are dismissed if the candidate can win
  • They suggest that in Maine, voters may care more about cost of living and populist messaging than personal morality.

Is scandal now “immunity”?

  • Scaramucci argues that part of the electorate now sees scandal coverage as establishment sabotage rather than disqualifying evidence.
  • Katty Kay notes that Maine voters appear to be responding to Platner as an outsider and ignoring the scandal because they like his politics.
  • Still, both hosts are skeptical that Platner can actually beat Susan Collins, who they believe remains very hard to defeat statewide.

Main Takeaways

  • Trump is taking hits, but not enough to break the Republican Party wide open.
  • The courts and institutions may be doing more to constrain Trump than elected Republicans are.
  • Trump continues to dominate through fear, loyalty, and acting appointments, even when he loses publicly.
  • The Platner controversy suggests American politics may now be entering a phase where scandal is less disqualifying than it once was, especially if a candidate feels authentic or anti-establishment.
  • Both hosts remain skeptical that Democrats can win Maine with Platner, and skeptical that Trump’s broader power is truly fading.

Predictions and Closing Thoughts

  • Scaramucci predicts:
    • Susan Collins will beat Graham Platner
    • Democrats likely won’t take the Senate through Maine
  • Kay agrees that Platner is a risky fit for Maine and thinks the Democrats may be backing the wrong candidate.
  • The episode closes by reinforcing a central theme: American politics is now driven less by traditional notions of character and more by loyalty, authenticity, and tribalism.