Two New Headaches for GOP
Author: Greg Valliere
April 2, 2025
ALREADY REELING FROM LAST NIGHT’S ELECTIONS, Republicans woke up this morning to another two headaches: reports that the White House is working on plans to annex Greenland, and more revelations about Mike Waltz’s use of his personal email account.
THE BIG STORY, OF COURSE, IS THE EASY WIN for Democrats in the Wisconsin Supreme Court vote, a warning signal for the GOP that their narrow House majority could be vulnerable.
THERE’S ALWAYS A TEMPTATION to over-analyze special elections, but there’s no question that Republicans under performed in two Florida House races, which they won by smaller margins than expected — and now the GOP has an Elon Musk problem.
DONALD TRUMP KNOWS HOW TO CUT HIS LOSSES, so he may have to distance himself from Musk and it’s likely that he will have to fire Waltz, in the wake of disclosures that he and his staff used their personal accounts in conducting government business.
TRUMP REPORTEDLY CONSIDERED FIRING WALTZ last weekend, and this may be the final straw. He needs a scapegoat, and Waltz fits the bill.
TRUMP’S “LIBERATION DAY” celebration already has encountered fierce resistance, and these new headaches may turn voters against him even more. The next big elections are in November in Virginia and New Jersey, where Democrats are favorites.
THERE’S A MAJOR MARKET ANGLE HERE: Republicans are bitterly divided among themselves over the size and components of a tax bill that they want to move after the Easter recess. That’s looking like a long way off, as Trump’s political capital suddenly diminishes.
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