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Under Trump’s Big Tent, Republicans Are Starting to Clash
Democrats have long been viewed as the big-tent party — a proudly noisy collection of differing views and competing interests, often prompting headlines describing them as “in disarray.”
Now, Donald J. Trump’s commanding victory may be ushering in a big-tent era for Republicans.
Even before he takes the oath of office on Monday, cracks in his freshly expanded coalition have emerged. With their divides, the incoming president and his party are being forced to confront a reality that has often tripped up Democrats: A bigger tent means more room for fighting underneath it.
In recent weeks, some congressional Republicans have dismissed Mr. Trump’s threats of military force against Greenland. Republicans from farm states have squirmed at his plans to impose new tariffs on all goods entering the United States. Opponents of abortion have grumbled about his selection of an abortion rights supporter for his cabinet. Mr. Trump’s embrace of tech billionaires has troubled conservatives who blame their companies for censoring Republican views and corrupting children.
And last week, a fight over the direction of immigration policy prompted Stephen K. Bannon, an architect of Mr. Trump’s political movement, to attack Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a key Trump adviser, as a “truly evil person.”
“The big battles are all on our side of the football — meaningful, tough,” Mr. Bannon told The New York Times.
This wide range of internal fights over policy and power may be run-of-the-mill in politics, but they are somewhat extraordinary for the Trump-era Republican Party. Since Mr. Trump, a former Democrat unbound by strict ideology, effectively hijacked the party in 2016, the internal clashes have largely been between two clear factions: the traditional Republicans and the Republicans who embraced Mr. Trump.
But eight years later, most of the old guard has been thoroughly conquered or converted. Mr. Trump is entering a Washington where nearly all Republicans consider themselves part of his movement. They just don’t all agree on what, exactly, that means.
Inauguration Day will offer a vivid display of the new crosscurrents in the party. When he takes the oath of office, Mr. Trump will be joined not only by Vice President JD Vance, who spent years railing against big tech, but by at least four technology executives who are part of a crop of industry moguls who warmed to Mr. Trump in recent months, pouring money into his inauguration committee.
For most of his political career, Mr. Trump has been laser-focused on pleasing the voters who elected him. In his first term, Mr. Trump largely worried about holding on to his core group of supporters: white, working-class voters.
But with a bigger, more diverse coalition, that task has grown more complicated and far less clear. Mr. Trump’s victory in November was marked by notable gains in traditionally liberal cities and suburbs and among the Black, Latino, female and younger voters who have long been central to the Democratic Party’s base.
While those voters largely supported Mr. Trump’s goals of lowering prices and curbing illegal immigration, it’s unclear whether they also support the full scope of conservative policies — like ending automatic citizenship at birth and banning abortion nationwide — that some of his hard-right supporters are eager to implement.
“This is the most racially diverse incoming governing coalition for a G.O.P. since at least 1956, and that has the potential to change things,” said Ralph Reed, a Republican strategist and founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, who said he had attended every Republican inauguration over the past four decades. “But they’re good challenges to have.”
Newt Gingrich, who was speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999, pointed to two policy debates that will help show whether the party is ready to cater to its new voters.
One is whether Republicans support a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, a cohort of immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Stripping them of their legal status comes with the political risk of alienating moderate voters, Mr. Gingrich said.
A second test, he said, would be whether Republicans can muscle through a tax bill before July 4 in order to stimulate the economy and help the party keep control of the House through the 2026 midterms.
“There will be mistakes and confusion and tension, but there will also be enormous changes,” he said.
Mr. Trump doesn’t have much wiggle room in Congress, where even slight ideological differences could have an outsize impact on his ability to enact his agenda. The party’s slim, three-vote margin in the House means that any Republican lawmaker has the power to slow down legislation, if not scuttle it entirely. In the Senate, Republicans have 53 votes, leaving little room for dissent on a majority vote.
During his first term, Trump’s grip on his voters — backed up by frequent political threats — stifled most opposition within the party. Whether his political hold remains as strong in his second — and final — term remains to be seen.
Republican strategists say there are plenty of issues where there is broad agreement across the party, including expanding the tax cuts passed during the first Trump administration and curbing illegal immigration.
Even within those issues, the challenge may be in the details. Already, Mr. Bannon and Mr. Musk have tangled over H-1B visas, a skilled-worker immigration program that has long been a key source of labor for Silicon Valley. Mr. Trump suspended H-1B visas during his first term, but last month seemed to indicate support for keeping the program.
The debt ceiling has created distance between Mr. Trump and deficit hawks in his party, including members of the House Freedom Caucus who last month refused to free him of the spending constraint.
Republicans also disagree over setting a new corporate tax rate and how much of the new tax cuts should be paid for by slashing spending.
A group of Republicans from swing districts in New Jersey, New York and California have vowed to block the tax bill unless a cap on a state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, is raised significantly. Many other Republicans oppose the measure, which would largely benefit wealthier families in blue states.
Foreign policy is another area with considerable intraparty divides, particularly over ending the war in Ukraine and over the role Russia should play in the region. Whether Republicans follow Mr. Trump’s lead and take a softer position toward Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, may offer hints of the party’s direction on America’s traditional alliances abroad.
Still, Brad Todd, a Republican strategist, said no one understood the temperature of the Republican Party quite like Mr. Trump, who spends hours calling different lawmakers, donors and activists to get their views.
“Trump is not ideological,” Mr. Todd said. “He’s a pragmatic, practical person. He is a populist in that he wants to do popular things.”
A person views the Guadalupe River after flash flooding occurred along its banks on July 16, 2026 in Center Point, Texas. Flash floods swept across parts of Central Texas, prompting evacuations and triggering multiple water rescues.
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Dangerous floods are hitting South Central Texas — a region that just marked one year since more than 130 people died in catastrophic flooding. Gov. Greg Abbott says at least two people have died in the current emergency.
More than 230 rescues have been made, the governor said Thursday evening, adding that more than 2,350 responders and 1,400 vehicles have been deployed.
A wide swath of Texas is under flood alerts, from the Kerrville area south to Uvalde and beyond to Laredo. In parts of Uvalde County, muddy floodwaters covered roads and fields and rose nearly as high as houses’ rooftops, according to a video posted by Texas Department of Public Safety.
With heavy rains expected to continue into Friday, Abbott said Uvalde and Johnson City are at the greatest risk of life-threatening floods overnight.
“The people in that area need to be very cautious,” Abbott said.
In some cases, communities that endured flooding on Wednesday are being deluged once again.
“Showers and thunderstorms continue developing and moving into areas that are currently experiencing dangerous flooding conditions,” the National Weather Service office in San Antonio and Austin said.
NPR member stations in Texas are covering the floods. In some cases, residents tell reporters that flooding exceeds levels they saw in 2025.
In Kerrville, the city police department said in a noon update that while high water had mostly receded, the emergency is ongoing, with numerous road and bridge closures. The agency urged residents not to venture out.
“There is a lot of people driving around to take a look and that is not helpful,” the police said.
At least one summer camp has evacuated, according to the Texas Newsroom, and state lawmakers say they’re seeing an improved safety response to the floods, thanks to an increase in disaster resources such as funding for warning systems and flood mitigation.
The Guadalupe River rose at terrifying speed near Comfort, Texas, Thursday morning — from 5.46 feet at 5 a.m. CT to 37.05 feet at 8:05 a.m. — according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Flood sirens blared Thursday morning in the town, northwest of San Antonio that’s some 35 miles east of Camp Mystic.
“We have already had several vehicles swept away,” the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department said on social media, urging people to stay off the roads. It posted a video of fast-moving high water moving through a neighborhood.
“Even if the rain has stopped where you are, water levels are likely to continue surging throughout the day as runoff from upstream moves through our creeks and rivers,” the department said.
Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the flood will likely break records, in an area that’s historically prone to flooding.
“I want to give you a comparison: The Fourth of July floods last year had rainfall of 20.29 inches,” Abbott said, according to the Texas Newsroom. “The expected rainfall during this rainstorm is expected to be more than 30 inches.”
Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, remains shut down after 25 campers and two counselors died last year — the result of a wall of water rushing down the Guadalupe River. They were among the more than 130 people who died across the Hill Country region.
More excessive rainfall is forecast across the Texas Hill Country Thursday, with the storm moving westward toward the Big Bend region on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
News
Trump’s ‘American Flag Blue’ in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer ‘vandal’ is fighting his arrest | Fortune
The newly drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s bottom surface has noticeably faded since it was lined with a protective coating in a color President Donald Trump called “American flag blue” this spring.
An Associated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced-off Reflecting Pool on Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained is now largely gone, after work crews removed it.
Trump’s problem-plagued effort to revamp the landmark has stretched well past his initial goal of having the Reflecting Pool ready by July 4 for the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president at first suggested his renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill ballooned to more than $16 million by June.
Trump had said the repairs would last a century, but within days of the project’s initial completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.
Vandalism charges were levied against a former Olympic canoeist
Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for the peeling paint, though critics allege it’s from shoddy repair work.
Trump has said, without citing evidence, that vandals made a “350-foot gash” in the liner and caused other problems. No large slash marks were immediately visible Wednesday from the Washington Monument view. It was not possible to do a more up-close inspection of the entire pool due to a dark fence surrounding the perimeter.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees the National Park Service, said that after the water is drained and debris is cleaned from Independence Day fireworks, the plan for the pool is straightforward: “Repair the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again.” He was speaking with conservative podcaster Katie Miller.
Court documents show that the National Park Service reported to the U.S. Park Police a June 9 incident in which a sharp knife or razor was said to have cut the pool’s new liner.
Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not guilty last week in D.C. Superior Court to deliberately damaging the Reflecting Pool. Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to by a park worker.
His attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided the case as an abuse of prosecutorial power and maintain he is being scapegoated for the poor job done fixing up the Reflecting Pool.
At least three other people have been charged in the same court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the pool, court records show. All three pleaded not guilty during initial court appearances.
The work on the Reflecting Pool is just one of a number of projects Trump has spearheaded across the nation’s capital. Most prominently, he demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a $400 million ballroom and plans to build a towering arch. between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates the team’s second goal by Lautaro Martínez during their World Cup semifinal against England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Argentina defeated the English 2-1 to advance to Sunday’s final against Spain.
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ATLANTA — Argentina, the death-defying defending World Cup champion, will play for a second consecutive title after scoring two late goals to beat England in the semifinal, 2-1.
For a fourth straight knockout game, Argentina survived a heart-stoppingly close call. First was Cape Verde, the African island nation underdog, who took the champions to extra time. Then was the furious miracle comeback after Egypt took a 2-0 lead. Then, in the quarterfinal, a shorthanded Switzerland squad forced extra time despite a 72nd-minute red card.
This gutsy Argentina squad prevailed in all three games, and Wednesday, they pulled it off yet again. In the 55th minute, England took a 1-0 lead when forward Anthony Gordon tapped in a cross.
But, as the clock ticked up, Argentina turned up the intensity. A relentless onslaught yielded near miss after near miss before finally midfielder Enzo Fernández scored off a rocket from outside the penalty area to equalize the game at 1-1 in the 85th minute.
Then, in stoppage time, forward Lautaro Martínez sent the Argentina crowd into delirium with a header off a cross from 39-year-old superstar Lionel Messi, who assisted on both goals.
“I think that this team plays the best when we are facing a difficult situation, with adversity, ” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni afterward. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. There was blood in the water, and we went for it.”
In Sunday’s final they will face Spain, which defeated France on Tuesday 2-0 to contend for their second-ever title.
England’s Anthony Gordon celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the World Cup semifinal against Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta.
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Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Wednesday’s game, the sixth meeting between these two teams at the men’s World Cup, was the newest chapter in their storied rivalry. That history includes the infamous “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup, four years after a war between the two countries over the Falkland Islands. The British won the war, but the sovereignty of the territory is still under dispute.
(Asked Tuesday about the “Hand of God,” which was the first of two goals scored by Maradona, coach Scaloni slyly deflected. “I think all of the world remembers that game, remembers Diego’s performance, remembers above all the second goal,” he said.)
To hear England’s coach, none of that mattered on Wednesday. “We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip in historic events, and we don’t make it bigger than it is,” Thomas Tuchel told reporters the day before the match.
Yet from the opening kick, both teams eagerly played a physical game: Collisions, jersey tugs, tough tackles, bodies flying to the ground. Referee Ismail Elfath, the first American man to work a World Cup semifinal, awarded a yellow card to each team before halftime.
And after the game, as Argentina’s players celebrated on the field, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who did not play in the match, unfurled a white banner bearing the words “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” or “the Malvinas are Argentine,” a reference to the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands. The banner appeared to have been first held by Argentina fans in the stands.
For England fans, the pain is a familiar one as they watched the team fall short in yet another major tournament knockout game. England lost in the Euros final in both 2024 and 2020, and the last time they reached the World Cup semifinal in 2018, they lost by the same score as Wednesday’s match, 2-1, despite scoring first.
England’s forward Harry Kane (#9) and teammates react after losing their World Cup semifinal match 2-1 against Argentina.
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Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
“It’s a similar story to what’s happened in previous tournaments,” England Captain Harry Kane conceded afterward. “We’d done so well for that 60 minutes. We scored. We deserved to be ahead. And then, for one reason or another, we struggled to keep the ball. We struggled to put pressure on the ball and it just allowed them to create more momentum.”
The atmosphere inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was raucous and ear-splitting. Argentine fans by the thousands wore the white and sky blue striped jerseys bearing the name of their star Messi. The English celebrated their team wearing all-white or all-red jerseys of their scoring sensations: Kane and Jude Bellingham.
But neither star could save England from another defeat, extending what has already been an agonizing 60-year wait to return to the final.
NPR’s Russell Lewis contributed reporting from Atlanta
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