For Donald Trump, the MAGA revolt is a reminder that his coalition is uneasy. With the dismissal of two cabinet members in a few weeks, Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi, the White House is off balance. The Iran War is also beginning to erode his approval ratings.

But his problem is not simply MAGA; it is beginning to trouble traditional Republicans. So far, not enough to erode his slender majority in the House of Representatives, but in the Senate, it is clear that the Republican leadership is troubled. Trump’s antics and pronouncements are tolerated by the Majority Leader, John Thune, but only barely.

An example of this was the decision to approve the bill for Homeland Security funding minus ICE. Thune and Chuck Schumer got a unanimous vote to open up DHS funding, with the caveat that ICE would be discussed. Mike Johnson, the curious Speaker of the House, ignored the bill, calling it “a joke.” Trump then promptly issued a decree or an executive order, take your pick, and essentially agreed with Thune and by extension Schumer.

The idea that Congress should play a role is disturbing to Trump and, apparently, Mike Johnson, who ended up looking like the joke was on him. Capriciousness in dealing with Trump should be of no surprise.

However, the GOP is getting a bit uneasy with Trump’s advocacy of changing voting rules, such as mail-in ballots, which the President recently utilized in a Florida special election.

Also, it highlights the cynical relationship between Senate Republican leaders such as Thune and Mitch McConnell. As long as they got 90% of what they wanted, which conforms with traditional GOP dogma, tax cuts, for example, they were happy to appease the President. But in matters, in particular MAGA proposals, such as DOGE and mass deportation, they are not as cooperative.

Moreover the Supreme Court reflects their agenda more than Trump’s. The vote on protective tariffs reflects the Senate’s preference for Free Trade, and, judging from the preliminary discussion on Birthright citizenship, the opinion does not favor Trump.

So far, Trump has been tolerated as long as he can be contained, but recently, he has been unusually chatty on Truth Social. He seems agitated, denouncing Conservative Justices and is bent on evoking a Christian version of Holy War. In the first term, these were intermittent; now they are on an assembly line. One day, two messages, some contradicting the previous.

With cabinet members being replaced, Trump holds his appointees hostage to events. Lord knows Pete Hegseth will be held responsible if anything goes wrong. For Trump, self-responsibility is nonexistent – probably Kash Patel, whose FBI tenure has been an excuse to party hardy and meet celebrities, may be testing his tolerance. RFK Jr probably rubs some of Trump’s corporate supporters the wrong way. In the end, he will depend on Republicans in Congress, whom he holds in such contempt.