Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and it will come at a time when there is growing Republican frustration with the president.
According to an analysis by CBS News, Trump’s full grip on the Republican caucus in Congress may be starting to loosen.
“When President Trump heads to the Capitol to deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, he will be greeted by raucous applause from his fellow Republicans on a host of different policy matters,” the CBS analysis says. “But that reception will mask signs of discontent among some GOP lawmakers, who have become more willing to cross the president in recent months.”
As Trump gears up for State of the Union, hints of frustration begin to emerge among House GOP https://t.co/rRWDuDhwro
— Tracy Solomon (@tracysolomon) February 24, 2026
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Republicans in Congress have begun to go against Trump on various fronts, whether on tariffs or the release of the Epstein Files. And this is happening as the midterm elections approach, with the GOP expected to lose at least one house of Congress in December.
“He was bound to be a lame duck at some time,” said Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, told CBS. “Now, usually it happens after the midterms.”
Trump had much more of a grip on the GOP a year ago, shortly after he returned to the presidency.
“It’s different now because we’ve had a year in and you’re seeing a break with some of the America-firsters in the MAGA movement, who have been frustrated with the fact that Donald Trump has been focusing a lot of his attention on other places than the United States,” Todd Belt, the director of the political management program at George Washington University, told CBS.
“Sometimes those votes won’t make a difference, and it makes it easier to cast that vote as a little bit of a protest vote,” Belt added. “But for some of them, they’re seeing a weakened president in terms of his poll numbers, so it’s easier for them to speak out against him.”
Trump’s approval ratings remain in the toilet, with the RealClearPolling average showing his approval rating at -13.4, with every poll listed in the average, with the exception of InsiderAdvantage, listing Trump underwater.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
