ToplinePresident Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge he’s losing support among some Senate Republicans as resistance to his White House ballroom project and “anti-weaponization” fund grows—even as his clout among Republican voters appears to remain intact, evidenced by several recent midterm election wins. President Donald Trump looks on during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsTrump said “I don’t know, I really don’t know, I only do what’s right,” when asked by a reporter Thursday if his support among Senate Republicans is slipping, before defending his ballroom project.Trump is facing pushback from growing groups of Republican lawmakers over his request for $1 billion in security funding for his White House ballroom project and the $1.8 billion fund for people who believe they’ve been wronged by the government.Senators scrapped an immigration enforcement funding vote planned for Thursday amid pushback over the inclusion of ballroom funding in the bill, and a bipartisan effort to block the “anti-weaponization fund” was underway in the House. The resistance comes despite a string of midterm primary victories among his endorsed candidates, including successfully defeating incumbents who have opposed him, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.There’s speculation Trump’s midterm campaign could backfire both by angering sitting lawmakers and making it harder for those who are up for reelection to win their races—scenarios that could further hamstring Trump’s legislative agenda.Trump’s endorsement earlier this week of Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff angered some of Cornyn’s Senate colleagues and Republicans who believe Cornyn had a better chance of beating Democrat James Talarico.Crucial Quote“I don’t need money for the ballroom. You know I’m making a gift of the ballroom. This is the biggest misreporting that I’ve ever seen. The ballroom is being built. It will cost—it was going to be $200 million. I’ve doubled the size of it because we need it, and it’s being done in conjunction with the military and Secret Service. We’re on time, on budget, it’s going beautifully, have all the money I need,” Trump said Thursday. Trump initially said the ballroom would cost $200 million, funded by private donations, but has since said it will cost $400 million in private funding. What Have Republican Critics Said About Trump’s Ballroom Funding?At least five senators—Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky.—have said they either won’t vote for the ballroom funding or have expressed reservations about it. Cassidy said he wouldn’t vote for the ballroom funding “for now,” citing the need for more information on why $1 billion was needed, telling Politico, “they just kind of made that number up.” The $1 billion was added to a $72 billion immigration-enforcement funding bill by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week to pay for Secret Service “enhancements” in the East Wing modernization project. The White House has estimated $220 million will be used for security features for the ballroom and the rest would fund security-related upgrades throughout the rest of the East Wing, which was recently leveled by the White House to make way for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. What Have Republican Critics Said About Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund?Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-sponsored legislation released Thursday that would block the $1.8 billion from being used to make payouts to people who believe they were wronged by the government. The fund was set up as part of a settlement between Trump and his two oldest sons in their lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of their tax returns. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called the fund a “payout pot for punks.” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, expressed concerns with the executive branch “being able to at their will . . . send money to people without the proper judicial rule.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told reporters on Monday he was “not a big fan” of the fund and did not see “a purpose” for it.What Else Is Trump Feuding With Senate Republicans About?Trump called on Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to be fired after she ruled on Saturday that the $1 billion in security funding was subject to the 60-vote filibuster threshold and must be voted on separately from the immigration-enforcement package, which needs just 50 votes, a majority, since it’s a high-priority fiscal issue. Thune ruled out firing her. Trump, in a post on Truth Social calling for her to be fired, also criticized Republicans for not removing the filibuster altogether and for failing to pass legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote.Further ReadingMore Republicans Blast Trump’s $1.8 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund As Blanche Pleas For Their Approval (Forbes)Trump’s Ballroom Funding Could Be Scrapped By Senate Republicans (Forbes)Trump Blasts Republicans For Not Firing Senate Staffer Over Ballroom Funding Dispute (Forbes)