The conventional wisdom in many political circles is that Donald Trump’s control over congressional Republicans is complete and unrelenting. The president barks orders, and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill obey, motivated by some combination of fear, partisan allegiance, loyalty and ideological agreement.

But while Trump’s power in Republican politics is obviously considerable, that wisdom is not always correct. In fact, Thursday was arguably the worst day for the incumbent president since he returned to power almost a year ago.

One of the setbacks came in the GOP-led House, where a Democratic discharge petition to revive and extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies passed the chamber on a 230-196 vote. In all, 17 House Republicans sided with the Democratic minority — more than members of either party expected — suggesting bipartisan concern about the health care coverage benefits that Republicans let expire on Jan. 1.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where a separate set of negotiations is underway for a possible compromise.

Speaking of the upper chamber, Trump’s other, more dramatic setback happened in the Senate on Thursday afternoon. My MS NOW colleague Mychael Schnell reported:

In a rare bipartisan rebuke of President Donald Trump on Thursday, the Senate narrowly advanced a war powers resolution aimed at reining in U.S. military actions in Venezuela — an early sign that Trump may not have the congressional backing he anticipated for an extended military presence there.

In a 52-47 vote, senators agreed to begin debate on a war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that, if successful, would ‘direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.’

As the dust settled, many observers were surprised to see that five Senate Republicans had voted with the Democratic minority on the bipartisan legislation.

Senate Democrats, led in large part by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, repeatedly tried to advance war powers resolutions in 2025, only to fall short in the face of GOP opposition. This time, however, as Trump pursues a legally dubious and highly controversial course of action in Venezuela, the effort succeeded.

The breakthrough was striking, though as a practical matter, the impact is likely to be limited: Even if the measure heads to the House, GOP leaders are likely to ignore it, and if it managed to reach the White House, the president would veto it.

But as the MS NOW report noted, Thursday’s vote nevertheless marked “a clear admonishment of Trump’s military escalation in Venezuela.”

Indeed, the president made no effort to hide his disgust, publishing an item to his social media platform in which he said the five Senate Republicans who voted for the resolution — Maine’s Susan Collins, Missouri’s Josh Hawley, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, and Indiana’s Todd Young — “should never be elected to office again.”

Put another way, according to Trump, a quintet of GOP senators defied the White House, which means they necessarily deserve to lose their jobs, even for an inconsequential, symbolic vote like this one.

Taking stock of the larger context, a Politico report noted, “A cadre of congressional Republicans dealt President Donald Trump significant defeats Thursday — a series of rebukes that demonstrate how his iron grip on Capitol Hill has weakened at the start of a critical election year.”

I think that’s the right way to see the developments. The point isn’t that the unpopular and failing president is suddenly powerless. He’s not, as evidenced by Thursday’s failed House votes on overriding his recent vetoes.

Rather, the point is that his grip is slipping in ways he isn’t accustomed to and clearly does not like. This was evident in the fall, when Republicans rejected some of Trump’s ridiculous nominees and voted to rebuke his trade agenda, and it was even more obvious this week.

As this year’s midterm elections approach and GOP members look for ways to salvage their careers, this dynamic seems likely to get worse for the White House before it gets better.

This post updates our related earlier coverage. Also, a legislative procedural detail in the 10th paragraph has been corrected.