By Aaron Zitner
OXON HILL, Md.—On Capitol Hill, some Republicans worry that President Trump’s blitz of government layoffs has cut too deeply. Angry voters are turning up at constituent meetings. Trump’s approval rating turned negative in several recent opinion polls, a potentially ominous sign for the 2026 midterms.
The MAGA faithful have a response: Keep pressing ahead, and don’t worry about the next election.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference, one of the premier annual gatherings of conservatives, several thousand Trump supporters gave a hero’s welcome to Elon Musk, Trump’s assigned budget-cutter, as he brandished a chain saw on stage and promised to cut through the federal bureaucracy.
They roared approval when House Speaker Mike Johnson said there was “no appetite’’ to send more funds to Ukraine. They cheered at the news that Kash Patel, who has said he wants to investigate the president’s perceived enemies, had just won Senate confirmation to lead the FBI.
“Fix bayonets, we’re charging again,” Trump ally Steve Bannon urged the crowd, adding: “You’re unstoppable.”
Steve Bannon addressed the conference on Thursday. Photo: Jason C. Andrew/Bloomberg News
Many here said Trump’s approach to Washington has fulfilled their wildest ambitions. That would make any midterm losses worth it. But they also believed Trump would have a winning message by 2026, based on their hopes he would cut taxes, reduce illegal immigration and deport immigrants with criminal records who entered the country illegally.
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