Trump Faces a Slow-Motion Revolt as Senate Reasserts Power and GOP Cracks Widen

Washington — President Donald Trump is confronting one of the most serious tests of his political authority since returning to office, as a widening rift with Congress — including members of his own party — threatens to erode the institutional support he needs to govern.

The latest flashpoint came late Friday, when Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia announced she would resign from Congress, ending a five-year tenure that had made her one of Mr. Trump’s most visible and aggressive allies. Her departure followed a public rupture with the president over a vote related to the release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has fueled internal Republican tensions and intense online scrutiny.

Mr. Trump responded swiftly and harshly. In a post on Truth Social, he labeled Ms. Greene a “traitor,” accusing her of disloyalty and suggesting that she would not have survived a Republican primary challenge. Speaking to reporters the following morning, the president said he had told her to “go her own way,” adding that once he withdrew his support, her political future was effectively over.

Ms. Greene’s resignation, effective January 5, 2026, would once have been unthinkable. For years, she functioned as a loyal foot soldier in Mr. Trump’s political wars, amplifying his claims, defending his actions and attacking his critics. Her exit underscores a broader and more consequential development unfolding in Washington: a slow but unmistakable rebellion within Congress, particularly in the Senate, against the president’s expanding use of executive power.

At the center of that rebellion is a bipartisan Senate vote that passed this week by a margin of 52 to 47, advancing legislation that would restrict Mr. Trump’s ability to conduct further military action in Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization. Seven Republican senators joined Democrats to move the measure forward, a striking rebuke of a president who has long demanded near-total loyalty from his party.

The vote was procedural, but its symbolism was unmistakable. The Senate was asserting its constitutional role in matters of war and peace — and doing so against a president from the same party as a significant portion of the chamber.

“This is Congress reminding the executive branch that the power to initiate sustained military action does not belong to the president alone,” said one senior Senate aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

For Mr. Trump, the vote represented more than a policy disagreement. It was a warning sign that his grip on Senate Republicans — once ironclad — is loosening.

The Venezuela vote is part of a broader pattern. In recent weeks, Republican senators have publicly broken with the administration on multiple fronts, most notably over a Justice Department criminal investigation targeting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Several Republican lawmakers, including Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have warned that the probe threatens the Fed’s independence and risks destabilizing financial markets.

“There is no doubt that forces inside the administration are trying to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve,” Mr. Tillis said in a statement that circulated widely on social media and cable news. He pledged to oppose future Fed-related nominations until the investigation is resolved — an extraordinary stance against a president of his own party.

Democrats, meanwhile, have escalated their rhetoric. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has described Mr. Trump as an “existential threat to democracy,” language that signals a belief that the president’s conduct goes beyond routine partisan conflict. Mr. Schumer has also warned of potential interference in the 2026 midterm elections, framing congressional pushback as a matter of democratic survival rather than political preference.

While the Senate has not passed a formal resolution calling on Mr. Trump to resign, the accumulation of actions — votes to curtail authority, public criticism from within his party and increasingly stark warnings from Democratic leaders — has created what some lawmakers privately describe as a “slow-burn revolt.”

That revolt is mirrored in the House of Representatives, where impeachment mechanisms are once again moving into place. A resolution introduced in the 119th Congress, known as H. Res. 353, lays out seven articles of impeachment against the president. They include charges of obstruction of justice, usurping Congress’s power of the purse, abuse of trade and war powers, violations of the First Amendment, creation of unlawful executive offices, bribery and corruption, and an overarching allegation of tyranny.

House leaders have not yet scheduled a floor vote, but the resolution has energized Democratic activists and sharpened the stakes for Senate Republicans. If the House were to impeach Mr. Trump, the Senate would be constitutionally required to hold a trial — forcing senators who have already broken with the president on key issues to decide whether to go further.

The threshold for conviction remains high: a two-thirds vote. But the fact that Republican senators are already willing to defy Mr. Trump on substantive matters has altered the political calculus. Each defection lowers the psychological barrier for the next.

Outside Congress, advocacy groups are amplifying the pressure. Organizations pushing for Mr. Trump’s removal have mobilized online campaigns, fundraising appeals and targeted advertising, arguing that congressional action is not only justified but necessary. Their messaging, widely shared on platforms such as X, TikTok and YouTube, has helped sustain public attention on congressional resistance.

Mr. Trump’s response has followed a familiar pattern. He has lashed out at dissenters, branding Republican critics as disloyal and Democrats as corrupt. Yet those attacks may be accelerating, rather than halting, his isolation. Lawmakers who are publicly denounced by the president have little incentive to defend him later.

“This is the paradox of Trump’s leadership style,” said a former Republican strategist. “He demands absolute loyalty, but the moment someone steps out of line, he ensures they never come back.”

Politically, the stakes are immense. With the 2026 midterms approaching, lawmakers in both parties are weighing their own survival. For Democrats, opposing Mr. Trump energizes their base. For Republicans, the choice is more fraught: defy the president and risk a primary challenge, or stand by him and risk alienating swing voters and institutional allies.

So far, a growing number of Republican senators appear to be choosing selective defiance — breaking with Mr. Trump on specific issues while stopping short of open rebellion. Whether that posture hardens into a unified front remains uncertain.

What is clear is that Mr. Trump is no longer operating in a Congress defined by deference. The Senate’s reassertion of its authority, the House’s impeachment preparations and the visible cracks within the Republican Party all point to a presidency under mounting strain.

There has been no dramatic demand for resignation, no single vote that settles the matter. Instead, the pressure is cumulative — procedural votes, public warnings, institutional pushback. For a president who thrives on dominance and control, the erosion of congressional support may be the most dangerous threat of all.

As one senior lawmaker put it privately: “This isn’t a coup. It’s Congress remembering it has a spine.”

Whether that spine stiffens further — or bends under political pressure — may determine the fate of Mr. Trump’s presidency in the months ahead.