Trump has a narrow window to advance his aggressive agenda. He’ll need these right-wing hardliners to push it through
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy We’re less than two weeks out from the initial sprint of the second Trump administration — and the incoming president is now seeking to push aside one of his biggest hurdles. open image in gallery Donald Trump wants to avoid the kind of legislative defeat his party suffered in 2017, the last time his party had unified control of the government At the same time, he made very clear to Johnson with a late-game endorsement that his support hinges on delivering wins for the president’s team and toeing the line on policy and process matters. open image in gallery Trump made it clear to Johnson that his support hinges on delivering wins for the president’s team More than anything else, what Trump really wants is to avoid the humiliation of his defeat on the issue of repealing the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans tried and failed to do away with in 2017. That historic Senate vote by John McCain dooming the GOP bill, which already was set to leave large parts of the Act intact, sapped the White House’s political capital and contributed to the administration’s failure to pass any major policies through Congress before the Democrats retook power in the 2018 elections.