Congressional Republicans are expressing growing disenchantment with Donald Trump’s ability to serve as US president.
This was most recently demonstrated by Arizona Senator Jeff Flake's remarkable in which he blasted Mr Trump's behaviour as "reckless, outrageous and undignified".
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, who holds an influential role as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee went one step further, calling him an "utterly untruthful" leader who "debases" the nation.
The president has long had his critics but those within his own party are becoming increasingly vocal.
Dougal Robinson, Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney says the Senators have clearly become "unnerved by the president’s lack of discipline, personal insults, and inability to achieve a major legislative success".
US President Donald Trump was blasted by two Republican Senators. Source: Getty
Policy-focussed criticism of the president - even by members of his own party - is a feature of US politics, Mr Robinson says, but "such strongly-worded statements, accusing the president of incompetence and peddling falsehoods, are striking and not normal".
What about the midterms?
All 435 members of the US House of Representatives and one-third of US Senators face re-election in the midterm elections, held in November next year.
Both Senator Flake and Senator Corker have announced they will not be running for re-election, a fact the White House used in brushing off their attacks on Mr Trump.
"Based on previous statements and certainly based on the lack of support that he [Senator Flake] has from the people of Arizona, it's probably a good move," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said shortly after the Senator's speech.
"[Mr Trump] wants people to be in the Senate that are committed to actually moving the ball down the field, and I don't think these two individuals necessarily have been as focused on that," she said of the pair.
Mr Robinson says the Senators' comments reflect the Republican Congress’ growing readiness to push back against the president with both “words and votes.”
"The more toxic the relationship between Trump and Congressional Republicans, the more the latter will be prepared to flex their muscle to shape and constrain the president’s behaviour," he says.
“A key litmus test is whether other Republican Senators, those who are standing for re-election, join Corker, [Senator John] McCain, and Flake in criticising President Trump in such strong terms.”
But even if they do it’s unlikely to affect the make-up of the Senate, as only one third is up for re-election in 2018.
“Republicans have a favourable Senate map, they already have the majority in the Chamber,” says Mr Robinson.
“Almost all Republicans who are up for re-election are in states that Donald Trump won easily in 2016.
Democrats in with a chance
Unlike the Senate elections, the whole of the House of Representatives is up for re-election in 2018.
Many Democrats instead see that election as an opportunity to regain some power in Congress.
Mr Robinson says Republican Members of Congress in the House of Representatives who are “anti-Trump” are worried about a primary challenge from a Trump-aligned candidate.
“Several Republicans in the House of Representatives have announced they are not seeking re-election,” says Mr Robinson.
“These may be for different personal and professional circumstances but there is no doubt that Trump’s unpopularity has been a factor.”
He says if the Democrats win the majority in these elections it would affect Mr Trump’s presidency, as they would imperil his legislative agenda.
“It would make it almost impossible for anything to get through,” says Mr Robinson.
For now, Mr Trump does not appear fazed by criticism from within his own party and any lasting impacts it may have on his presidency. He tweeted on Wednesday that he had enjoyed a nice lunch with Republican Senators.
