Trump's Argentine bailout stokes growing dissent among Maga faithful

Anger over domestic issues makes Senate Republicans anxious as midterms draw closer

- Hugh Tomlinson

Donald Trump touted his triumph in securing a ceasefire in Gaza, threatened to send troops into more US cities and confirmed CIA covert operations in Venezuela at a meandering Oval Office press conference last week.

Flanked by attorney general Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel, the US president urged his chief law enforcement officers to "look into" a new list of political enemies, the latest targets in a campaign of retribution for what he dubbed "the worst weaponisation of a political opponent in the history of the world".

At around the same time on Wednesday, a group of anxious Senate Republicans met Trump's trade representative, Jamieson Greer, to discuss the impact of the president's trade war with China. The Republicans demanded to know why the White House agreed a $40bn bailout for Argentina last week, when US farmers are struggling with the fallout from Trump's flagship tariff policy and a standoff with Beijing.

The parallel meetings underscored a disconnect between the White House and Republicans in Congress and the first hairline cracks of dissent emerging in Trump's total control of his party.

With the government shutdown grinding into a third week, members of Congress returned to their constituencies to face anxiety among voters at the state of the US economy, the job market and the cost of living. As the 2026 midterms heave into view, Republicans facing reelection are quietly pleading with the White House to refocus on the kitchen-table issues that Trump was elected to fix.