Trump eats his own: President appears to relish flaying Republican senators in the public square amid Epstein pressure
A Brooklyn-born songwriter named Allan Roberts wrote those lyrics and (with music by Doris Fisher) the Mills Brothers were the first of a litany of performers who turned it into an American standard.
Lately, it seems to be a Donald Trump standard as well.
Take, for instance, the case of Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Few Republicans have been bigger allies to Trump — on Jan. 6, 2021, the Yale Law graduate-turned-populist warrior famously pumped his fist to Trump supporters as he objected to the election results. When the Capitol cleared out after the riot, Hawley continued his objection.
But this week, Hawley learned a bitter truth: no matter how MAGA someone is, Trump demands absolute loyalty — and even a perceived slight can leave you on the outside looking in.
Hawley's crime? Trying to pass a bill he sponsored that would ban lawmakers from trading stocks. It seemed like a great way to 'Own the Libs,' since Hawley named it the PELOSI Act, a riff off of the former House Speaker Nanacy Pelosi's stock trading outperforming the market. But he faced significant opposition in committee — and every other Republican opposed it.
It only passed thanks to support from Democrats.
Sure as shooting, Trump lashed out at Hawley on Truth Social, criticizing him for not supporting an effort to launch an official investigation of Pelosi's stock trading. Trump ended his rant by calling Hawley a 'second-tier' senator.
When The Independent caught up with Hawley, he laughed it off and said that he and Trump had a 'nice visit.' He later told Business Insider that he walked Trump through the bill and that, contrary to what some of Hawley's enemies in the GOP had said, it would not force the president to sell Mar-a-Lago.
Trump said, 'You're exonerated,' according to Hawley.
On the surface, the whole affair is a bit of a laugh and shows how fickle Trump can be. But it also shows that as Trump faces increased scrutiny for his handling of the Israel-Gaza war, an inability to bring an end to the war in Ukraine despite promising he'd handle Vladimir Putin, a labor and stock market battered by his tariff news, and – perhaps most gratingly – the fallout from his and his White House's mismanagement of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, the pressure is getting to him.
And, six months into an administration that has control of both houses of Congress as well as a friendly majority on the Supreme Court, blaming Democrats simply won't serve as a release.
Hawley is not the only Republican Trump has aimed his fire at. On Thursday evening, his ire turned to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
'Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong,' Trump posted.
Of course, Trump being angry at Collins is not entirely implausible under the best of conditions.
Despite liberals being angry about Collins constantly saying she's 'concerned' with the latest Trump shenanigan and then voting his way anyway, she did vote to convict him after January 6, endorsed Nikki Haley against Trump in 2024 and, most recently, voted against Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.'
But as a senator from Maine, Collins is probably the only Republican who could win in New England. As The Independent wrote last month, that popularity has created a chilling effect where many promising young Democrats don't want to challenge her.
And that makes her a kind of safe target for Trump rage. If anything, it's a surprise that Trump didn't turn his fire on her earlier. (Still, Trump's salvos could make life more difficult because of the fact she leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, which means she controls the federal budget.)
Of course, Trump has already tamed Collins' partner in moderation, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
Murkowski famously agonized over the vote for the One Big, Beautiful Bill before deciding to support it in the hopes the House would change it. Which it didn't.
Later, the Trump administration went behind her back and issued executive orders to curb renewable energy projects she wanted to preserve. She told The Anchorage Daily News she felt 'cheated.'
But when The Independent asked her whether that made it harder to work with Trump, Murkowski said 'no.' Pressed why that is, she said 'because we have an understanding.'
'Just generally,' she said. 'He knows that I'm going to advocate for my interests. I know that he's going to advocate for his.'
The only Republican senator who has seemed to learn there is no way to win with Trump is Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Tillis came out in opposition to Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' in June, which caused Trump to attack him. This came despite the fact Tillis had voted for most of Trump's nominees and had consistently defended him.
Shortly after, Tillis announced his decision not to seek re-election.
'I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk and this bill puts them at risk,' Tillis told The Independent at the time.
Now, Democrats have their dream candidate vying for his seat as former governor Roy Cooper, who won statewide the same year Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and again in 2020, announced his candidacy. Cooper is expected to raise gobs of money and have a decent advantage in the polls.
Trump's decision to attack strategic allies shows that his increasing unpopularity has caused him to be more insular.
And while it's unclear if Hawley's trading bill will become law, many Republican senators might cash out their stock in Trump.
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