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PODCAST

Trump Suddenly Goes Weirdly Quiet After Gaetz Mess Triggers MAGA Rage

As Trump’s A.G. pick implodes, congressional expert Norman Ornstein decodes what’s really going on among the Republicans who delivered him his first big setback—and what more we can expect from them.

Donald Trump frowns
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Donald Trump at the UFC 309 event in New York City on November 16

After Matt Gaetz abruptly withdrew from consideration as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Trump seemed uncharacteristically muted. Intriguingly, he accepted this outcome without once trying to crack the whip on the Senate Republicans who apparently blocked Gaetz’s nomination—which is doubly strange, as MAGA personalities were furiously urging Trump to use recess appointments to put the Senate GOP in its place. What really happened among Republicans here? We talked to congressional scholar Norman Ornstein, who brilliantly explains what’s really driving the key GOP senators to watch going forward—and whether we’ll see real resistance among them to Trump’s future authoritarian excesses. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.

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