Battle on for Trump's 'big, beautiful Bill'

Donald Trump returns to the White House in two weeks with everything seemingly going his way - from stronger grassroots support than ever to a cowed billionaire class and a demoralised opposition.

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Yet a chaotic and polarised Republican Party on Capitol Hill threatens to frustrate his ambitions for a legacy-defining second term unless he can master the political equivalent of herding cats.

The Republican rank-and-file reveres Trump's "Make America Great Again" (Maga) agenda of tax cuts, tough border controls and boosted fossil fuel production, but long-simmering disagreements on how to get it into law are starting to boil over.

"Our members are ready to get to work and we have hit the ground running, as we promised everyone we would on the campaign trail," an upbeat Mike Johnson, who leads the Republicans in the House of Representatives, told reporters this week.