Why House Republicans Are Breaking With Trump: Exits, Frustration and a Slimming Majority

For much of this year, most House Republicans broadly aligned with President Donald Trump on immigration, economic measures and other priorities. In recent weeks, however, that cohesion has frayed: a growing number of GOP members are publicly pushing back against Mr. Trump, blaming congressional dysfunction and Speaker Mike Johnson’s deference to the former president for their frustration — and some are leaving Congress altogether.

What’s happening

Several House Republicans have broken with Mr. Trump on issues ranging from the release of the Epstein files to tariffs, health-care subsidies and responses to shipping incidents in the Caribbean. Many lawmakers cite an increasingly toxic political climate, stalled legislation and concerns about threats of political violence as reasons for retiring or resigning. Once Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s January departure becomes official, the GOP’s House majority will shrink to a single seat.

Scope and numbers

At the time of the interview, 23 House Republicans had announced plans to leave, and one senior source suggested nearly 20 additional retirements could follow — a potentially seismic shift for a party holding only a narrow majority. Observers point out that many of the departing Republicans are relatively new or less tenured, which is an unusual pattern compared with typical retirements driven by age or long service.

Why members are quitting

Leigh Ann Caldwell, chief Washington correspondent for Puck News, told Today, Explained that several forces are at work: disappointing recent election results, an increasingly centralized Trump influence on House strategy, anger at Speaker Mike Johnson for appearing to let the White House set the agenda, and frustration over low legislative productivity. Lawmakers who want to deliver projects and wins for their districts find it harder to justify staying in a Congress that has produced far fewer signed bills so far.

Legislative productivity: By one comparison, the prior two-year Congress produced 274 signed bills; this Congress had produced just 47 signed measures after one year — a point of considerable frustration for many representatives.

Leadership, fear and the role of social media

Several lawmakers have described a culture of fear in which criticism of Mr. Trump can trigger intense backlash on social platforms such as Truth Social and amplify threats of political violence. That dynamic, together with intra-party divisions over messaging (including how to handle health-care affordability and redistricting), has deepened dissatisfaction with GOP leadership.

What this could mean going forward

If more Republicans depart, the party risks losing its already razor-thin advantage before the midterms. A broader exodus could prompt leadership changes within the House GOP after the election cycle, particularly if the party loses the majority. Even if the GOP holds together, Caldwell warned, the conference could emerge "wounded, exhausted and cranky," facing difficult internal battles over strategy and personnel.

Interview excerpt

The following is an edited excerpt of a Today, Explained conversation between Astead Herndon and Leigh Ann Caldwell, highlighting how electoral underperformance, the Trump-driven agenda and low congressional output are driving the current wave of retirements and resignations.

Herndon: How extensive is the wave of departures in Congress, and what's driving it?
Caldwell: The scope could be substantial. Many Republicans are reassessing whether it’s worth staying. Younger and less-tenured members — people elected in 2020 or later — are disproportionately likely to leave because they see limited prospects for legislative accomplishment and poorer electoral odds going into the midterms.

Overall, Republican lawmakers face a confluence of political pressures that is reshaping the House conference and raising urgent questions about party leadership and priorities.