Analysis: Trump fumes as top allies back down on his personal battles

**Analysis: Trump's Allies Retreat on Personal Crusades, Leaving Him Isolated**

The past few days have presented a series of humbling challenges for President Donald Trump, despite his characteristic reluctance to acknowledge setbacks. He has encountered difficulties on multiple fronts, from minor personal battles to issues that could significantly impact his and his party's political standing for the remainder of his term.

These challenges range from a flawed attempt to restore a Washington landmark and questions surrounding his nominee for Attorney General, to increasingly complex efforts to conclude his conflict with Iran. Many of these predicaments, it appears, are of his own making.

Trump's response has been consistent with his first term: he continues to operate under the belief that he can create his own reality with "alternative facts," adhering to his convictions even when confronted with contradictory evidence. However, unlike his first term, where many conflicts were with dissenters within his administration, he is now clashing with some of his most steadfast loyalists.

On Friday, Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and staunch Trump supporter serving as a US Attorney, moved to dismiss felony property destruction charges against former Olympian David Hearn. Federal prosecutors had accused Hearn of intentionally damaging the Reflecting Pool near the Washington Monument.

In a 20-page court filing, Pirro stated that "The damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism," attributing her initial decision to prosecute Hearn to misleading information from the Department of Interior. While Trump champions "alternative facts," the evidence Pirro faced in court offered little support for her case, leading her to abandon it.

Trump, however, had enthusiastically endorsed the vandalism narrative and remained committed to it. In a Truth Social post on Saturday and again in comments from the Oval Office on Monday, he criticized Pirro's decision. "She folded like an umbrella," he grumbled.

While the Reflecting Pool case forced Trump to confront legal realities, he faced an unpleasant political reality on Capitol Hill. Todd Blanche, one of Trump's closest allies and his former criminal defense attorney, encountered significant opposition in his bid to become the permanent Attorney General.

Two Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined Democrats in blocking Blanche's nomination. They demanded a formal letter from Blanche disavowing any attempts to revive a proposed $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate individuals claiming to be targets of politicized government prosecution. Tillis labeled it a "payout pot for punks," expressing concerns it could be used to compensate those prosecuted in connection with the 2021 US Capitol riot by Trump's supporters.

In another Saturday Truth Social post, Trump declared he would keep Blanche as acting Attorney General and "push hard" for Congress to pass legislation authorizing the fund. "It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done," he wrote, indicating his unwavering commitment to the issue regardless of Blanche's nomination outcome.

However, the political arithmetic in the Senate was undeniable. By the following day, Blanche had complied with the senators' request, releasing two letters that Tillis and Cornyn confirmed satisfied their concerns.

In comments from the White House on Monday, Blanche avoided the scolding Pirro received. Trump stated he "didn't look at" Blanche's documents, adding, "I understand there's been a sign-off, but I don't know what they agreed." He did, however, express confidence in Blanche, saying, "He's going to do a great job."

While the Reflecting Pool prosecution and the "anti-weaponization fund" are of intense interest to the president, they hold little sway with the broader American public. This stands in stark contrast to the war with Iran, where Trump is once again accusing Iran of deceit amidst ongoing negotiations and threats of overwhelming American military action.

On Monday, after claiming the previous day that he had called off "an attack that would have been the biggest attack since World War II" at the request of Iranian officials and Arab intermediaries, Trump took to Truth Social to condemn what he described as Iranian duplicity. This followed Iran's denial of any new direct negotiations.

"They ask for a meeting, some would say 'beg', talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they're not having any discussions," Trump wrote. If Iranians are misrepresenting the status of talks, it wouldn't be unprecedented, just as it wouldn't be the first time Trump has seemingly accepted their assurances at face value and heralded a new diplomatic breakthrough.

The latest developments in the conflict have become a familiar pattern with minimal progress, as polls consistently show American disapproval of the war and concerns that Trump is not achieving his objectives. Recent public opinion surveys suggest the war is increasingly impacting the president's overall popularity. A recent Associated Press poll places Trump's approval at 33%, consistent with findings from CNN, Quinnipiac, and YouGov. This rating matches or falls below his approval after the Capitol riot and is only higher than Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace, among second-term US presidents in modern American history.

Trump, however, has repeatedly dismissed surveys indicating his historic unpopularity. "My REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been," he posted to Truth Social on Monday.

In three months, voters will head to the polls for congressional midterm elections. Trump has demonstrated surprising strength at the ballot box in the past, even when facing seemingly daunting poll numbers. While Trump may be grappling with—and at times denying—recent adversity, the ultimate measure of his political fate will be the election results. Should Republicans struggle, it may present yet another reality that Trump, despite his best efforts, must eventually confront.