Republican senators openly revolted against Donald Trump at a tense meeting in the US Senate on Friday. The trigger wasn't one thing but several at once: the controversial „Anti-Abuse Fund" worth 1.776 billion dollars, the endorsement of primary challengers to established party senators, and a blocked critical immigration funding package.

Senator Tom Cotton, usually one of Trump's most loyal allies, asked it straight: „Who thought this was a good idea? Who picked this moment?" That's public criticism from someone who rarely puts daylight between himself and Trump. When Cotton shows up in the headlines as an opposition voice, something significant is happening.

Senator Ted Cruz was bleaker: „It was one of the fiercest meetings I've sat through in my entire Senate career. The word 'fierce' doesn't even get close." Cruz isn't someone who complains about drama - his line points to a deep tension in the Republican caucus that won't be solved in one sitting.

Two main points fueled the revolt. First - Trump's proposed fund for alleged victims of „political persecution", including the January 6 Capitol attackers. A massive sum that would effectively function as partisan revenge. Second - billions in security funding for a project to add a ballroom at the White House. Senators see funds heading to personal projects, with no review.

More serious still, Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over Senator John Cornyn in the Texas primary. Cornyn is a respected party veteran; Paxton is a controversial former attorney general trailing a string of legal problems. Trump's endorsement of Paxton signals that party loyalty won't be rewarded - challengers will get his backing even against more reputable politicians.

The conflict has already blocked a key 70-billion-dollar package for immigration enforcement. Which means Trump's core campaign theme - deportations, the border, ICE funding - now depends on senators who are refusing to vote for his priorities. An almost historic paradox. He himself created the political climate that is now jamming him. The approval rating has fallen to 41 percent (from 45 in January), with strict Republican approval down from 75 to 57. Democrats lead 48-40 on the question of who should run Congress. Those are numbers from an era when political momentum is shifting, but how it ends is impossible to predict. The Balkans are watching, because foreign funding in our region often hangs on American domestic politics. And this isn't a good sign for stability.