President Donald Trump’s second term is being described as a state of complete “collapse.” The weakness is evident not only through historically abysmal approval ratings but is substantiated by a wave of resignations that is fracturing Congress and, most significantly, the defiance of his own political puppet: House Speaker Mike Johnson. In a shocking move, Johnson has publicly turned against President Trump on the crucial healthcare issue, an action being hailed as the opening shot for a genuine civil war within the MAGA movement and plunging the administration into a deep constitutional crisis.

The disintegration of Trump’s power is occurring openly and relentlessly. The administration is not just failing to maintain stability but is showing a complete loss of control over the very issues Trump once claimed he would fix. From the symbolic closure of government agencies to entanglement in international scandals, chaos is the clearest picture of this term.

The Erosion of the “Strong Man” Image

The decay of the Trump administration is highlighted by symbolic yet deeply meaningful signs.

One of the projects touted as a symbol of government efficiency, the “Department of Government Efficiency”—an initiative once praised by Trump and Elon Musk—has been confirmed to no longer exist. The collapse of this agency, which analysts called “Elon Musk’s indefensible plaything” that produced cruelty but no efficiency, is a testament to the core failure of Trump’s governance style.

More significantly, Trump’s image of power has been gravely undermined. The Oval Office, once the arena where Trump exerted absolute strength, recently became the scene where he was forced into a public “political surrender” to Zoran Mandani (a Democratic Senator). The image of Trump “slumped at the desk in defeat, offering a political surrender” is the most vivid visual of his declining power.

Trump was compelled to publicly shake hands warmly with Mandani, an individual he previously called a “communist lunatic,” demonstrating an undeniable political capitulation. Analysts argue this shows Trump is “declawed” and can no longer maintain the pretense of being the “strong man” when confronted by an individual of genuine conviction and principle. Amidst approval ratings plummeting to historic lows, Trump lacks the capability to threaten or assert his inevitability.

Mike Johnson: The Knife in the Back on Healthcare

The flashpoint for the current political crisis is healthcare. Facing a cratering term, President Trump resorted to his old tactic: promising a magnificent healthcare plan that is “two weeks away.” This is an unsubstantiated, non-existent promise, viewed as the “break glass, flip the switch” alarm he always pulls when desperately needing to salvage his approval ratings.

However, this time, House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a harsh dose of reality. Johnson is actively warning the White House against extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, directly contradicting Trump’s latest desperate proposal.

Johnson’s warning suggests he has no interest in helping Trump salvage his reputation. Most House Republicans lack the appetite to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies. This action pushes Trump and the Republican Party into an extremely precarious political bind:

Healthcare Disaster: If the ACA subsidies are allowed to expire, an estimated 4 million Americans will lose health coverage, and premiums will more than double for approximately 22 million people.

Political Betrayal: Despite facing severe political backlash for allowing healthcare costs to spike, Johnson must balance the political demands of competitive districts (which need the subsidies) against the deep-seated opposition to the ACA itself from the party’s far-right members.

Johnson, whose power rests entirely on Trump, is now saying “No” to the President. Johnson’s primary concern is retaining the Speaker’s gavel, and he fears that any move, even supporting Trump on this issue, will blow up the Republican caucus and cost him his position.

The Resignation Bomb and the Threat of Losing the House

The dissatisfaction among Republican members with Trump’s chaos and disastrous policies is manifesting in a severe problem: mass resignations. Republicans are threatening to resign en masse, which could not only shrink the already thin Republican majority but potentially make it non-existent.

If enough Republicans resign (out of disgust with Trump’s actions or policies like the healthcare plan), a small number of Democratic gains could lead to Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat) becoming the Speaker of the House. If this occurs, the Democrats would control the House and all its committees, including Oversight. This would instantly pave the way for the continuation of investigations against Trump and his administration, particularly concerning the Epstein files and other corruption activities.

The members considering resignation are doing so because they refuse to vote for a new, unsubstantiated Trump healthcare plan or to vote for extending the subsidies they ideologically despise. This “evil”—the willingness to let people lose healthcare and face financial risk—is the ultimate expression of the MAGA civil war: some members would rather see the party lose the House majority than bear political responsibility for Trump’s disastrous mandates.

Johnson faces two impossible choices:

Option One: Follow Trump, infuriate many Republicans, and still potentially lose the House.

Option Two: Let the subsidies expire, causing 4 million people to lose coverage and 22 million to face doubled premiums, tanking Trump’s approval rating even lower, and still facing resignations.

Mike Johnson is essentially saying, “I want no part of this anymore,” resulting in a “lame duck Congress” and a “lame duck president.”

The International Scandal: Fugitive Dictator Jailbreak Plot

Amidst the administration’s collapse, Trump remains entangled in corruption and international criminal activities. The former President publicly confirmed that he spoke with former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and that the two would be “meeting, I believe, in the very near future.”

The problem is that, at the time of Trump’s statement, Bolsonaro had just been rearrested early Saturday morning for attempting to remove his ankle monitor and flee the country; he was under house arrest and facing a long prison sentence.

Bolsonaro later claimed he removed the monitor because he was “hallucinating” due to a change in medication, but Trump’s statement inadvertently exposed the lie. If Trump spoke to Bolsonaro Friday night, and the two were planning to meet in the near future—while Bolsonaro was forbidden to leave his home—it implies that Trump “was in on the plan” to help a fugitive dictator jailbreak and bring him to the U.S.

This scandal serves as a stark example that even during the administration’s weakest and worst period, Trump’s criminal activity and corruption have not ceased. The political chaos, the betrayal by subordinates, and the international scandals paint a picture of an irreversible disintegration of this term.