Trump Brands Resigning GOP Reps “Weaklings!”

(RepublicanPress.org) – With the general elections looming seven months away, several high-profile Republican House members have decided not to seek another term. While that isn’t unusual, the number of GOP lawmakers retiring before the end of their term is an anomaly. Former President Donald Trump recently weighed on that phenomenon and didn’t hold anything back.

On March 31, Trump spent the day lashing out at political and legal rivals, posting 77 messages on his Truth Social platform. He reposted a link to a March 29 Washington Examiner article discussing Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-WI) recent decision to retire on April 18. The GOP lawmaker previously announced his decision not to run for reelection but upped the ante with his latest move.

The former president prefaced his post by lashing out at outgoing House Republicans. He told his nearly seven million followers never to forget those retiring lawmakers, calling them “cowards and weaklings!” He concluded his remarks by noting that the situation was “Such a disgrace.”

The recent departure of House Republicans is placing a stressor on the GOP’s precarious control of that chamber. Once Gallagher leaves office, the balance will shift to 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats. That means if everyone shows up for a vote, the required majority to pass a measure is 216. Under that scenario, Republicans can only lose one vote and prevail.

Some political watchers and pundits have expressed concern that if Republicans keep retiring early, the Democrats could gain control of the House and replace Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) with current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Making matters worse, some GOP lawmakers have already expressed concern about Johnson’s continued leadership. For instance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate the speakership in late March while the House voted to approve a $1.2 trillion spending package to keep the government open. She maintained that she intended the motion to serve as a warning to Johnson and didn’t plan to press for a vote on the measure.

Brookings Institution Fellow Molly Reynolds and Catholic University politics professor Matthew Green say the chance of Republicans losing control of the House before the November general elections is slim.