Boom!

No sooner did I post yesterday on Trump's next tasks, which I saw as neutralizing Leader McConnell and RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, than it looks like he has them both well in hand.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the shocking decision to recommend Republicans block the advancement of the Senate pro-migration border bill.

. . . McConnell cited the overwhelming number of Senate Republicans planning to vote against the measure either on substance or because they wanted more time, according to Punchbowl News.

. . . According to Punchbowl, McConnell said the political mood in the country has changed since negotiations began months ago. At that time, McConnell and Democrat leaders agreed to pair foreign aid to Ukraine, of which McConnell is the Senate’s greatest champion, with a border compromise.

So what's changed about the political mood of the country? Just one thing, Donald Trump. In a remarkably brief period between his indictments, most of which took place last summer, and the start of the 2024 primary season, Trump began to exceed expectations in national polls, culminating in a rapid victory over his potential primary opponents, most of which withdrew from the race before New Hampshire. At this point, he's actually in a far stronger position than he was in 2016, with the nomination now out of reach for any other candidate at the start of the primaries. At the same time, his position against Biden in general election polls is steadily improving.

This has put him in the position of Republican party leader and quasi-incumbent. with an enthusiastic base. It appears that McConnell and the other Senate Republican moderates were blindsided by the strength of the Trump base when they finally unveiled the text of their "compromise", which contained every one of the elements they'd previously denounced as "internet rumors". According to the link,

Leaked details of the secretive deal, which McConnell’s chosen Republican lead negotiator Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and other allies denied, were confirmed Sunday upon the bill’s release. The overwhelming opposition led to McConnell altering his plan Monday night.

Even Lankford, who continued championing the deal leading up to Monday night’s Senate Republican Conference meeting, would not say after the meeting if he would vote to move forward Wednesday on the deal he negotiated, according to the Huffington Post.

It looks like McConnell's only option, with the House Republican leadership refusing to take up the Senate bill, is to find a way for the Senate Republican moderates to back out without going on the record with a vote.

Meanwhile, Trump has given RNC Chair McDaniel to the end of this month to resign gracefully or be fired:

Donald Trump reportedly sat down with RNC chair Ronna McDaniel at Mar-a-Lago for more than two hours Monday to discuss the status of the party.

According to Politico, the meeting took place after Trump filmed an interview with Newsmax in which he said, "I think she knows that, I think she understands that," in response to a question from Rob Schmitt as to whether it was time for McDaniel to step aside.

According to Politico,

After the meeting, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that McDaniel was his “friend,” but said he would be calling for changes to the committee following the South Carolina GOP primary on Feb. 24.

“Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth,” he wrote.

. . . Trump, who is the strong frontrunner to win the GOP nomination, suggested that he would push for changes during an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News.

“I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did OK, initially, in the RNC. I would say right now, there’ll probably be some changes made,” he said.

Trump is simply beginning to drive events. A lot of people haven't woken up to that, but the primaries are over, and Trump is already beginning to anticipate the outcome of the general.