Ex-Republican flags 'underplayed' reason GOP lawmakers are about to walk away from Trump

New York Times columnist David French told MS NOW Monday morning that Senate Republicans are quietly reaching a breaking point with Donald Trump — not because they have suddenly grown a spine, but because they are learning that no amount of loyalty is sufficient to protect them from his wrath.

French, appearing on Morning Joe with anchor Jonathan Lemire, said the dynamic driving the frustration has been largely missed in the broader political coverage.

"There's a very important distinction that a lot of these senators are very aware of that has been sort of underplayed in the public," French said. "Trump turned on senators who had, in many ways, been doing everything that they could to signal their loyalty to Trump."

He pointed to John Cornyn as the clearest example. Cornyn, who lost his Texas primary last week to Attorney General Ken Paxton after Trump endorsed Paxton, had been working repeatedly to demonstrate his loyalty to the president in the days before the endorsement. His sin, in Trump's eyes, was voting to certify the 2020 election — a single break in an otherwise unwavering record of support.

"You were not talking about senators who had defied Trump all over the place," French said. "Just very rarely, very selectively. And so they're now learning that to be with Trump, it's 100% or you're going to have a target on your back."

French stopped well short of predicting a Republican revolt. But a small degree of independence — yes, he believes that's coming.

The signs are already visible. Lemire noted that Senate Republicans cut their recess short last week, going home early after refusing to take up the anti-weaponization fund in the wake of the Cornyn news. They have also put roadblocks in front of funding for Trump's proposed White House ballroom.

Lemire suggested the pattern could have lasting consequences, noting that Trump's primary purges may be undermining his own ability to govern and potentially jeopardizing Republican control of the Senate in November — adding to what he called Trump's "increasingly lame duck status."

French agreed the frustration was real. "Loyalty is a moving target," he said. "And I do think that frustration is going to spill over in some important ways."