President Trump is facing major tests of his power and influence this week, with elections that will offer a sense of voters’ moods, a battle over his tariffs at the Supreme Court and a government shutdown that keeps grinding on.
Fresh off a trip to Asia and a weekend in Florida, Mr. Trump lashed out on social media on Monday at Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, threatening to withhold federal funds from the city if he wins in Tuesday’s election. The president was also set to appear at virtual rallies for Republicans in New Jersey and Virginia.
He has said the Supreme Court will be making “one of the most important and consequential decisions ever made” by the nation’s highest court when it considers the legality of his tariffs on Wednesday.
And if Mr. Trump continues his standoff with congressional Democrats, by week’s end he will oversee the longest, and potentially most painful, government shutdown in history, one that recent polling shows Americans are increasingly blaming him for.
The series of events, experts say, has presented Mr. Trump with a pressure test of his go-to governance style — unilateralism — that has marked his second term.
“It’s an odd confluence to have these three potential checks on presidential power — legislative, judicial and electoral — all come in one week,” said Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and senior fellow at theRonald Reagan Institute.
“All these things are systemic challenges to unilateral power,” he added. “What does the Supreme Court do? You can do a lot of things with just the majority in Congress, but there are some things you can’t do — keeping the government open is one of them. And then obviously you need political popularity to carry out a lot of executive actions or unilateralist actions, and an election is a check on presidential popularity.”
In a statement, the White House sought to downplay the stakes of the week ahead.
“Every week is pivotal when Americans have a president who is all gas, no brakes on his push to Make America Great Again,” said Kush Desai, a White House spokesman.
But Mr. Trump has indicated that he recognizes the stakes.
By far the most important day on Mr. Trump’s mind is Wednesday, when the Supreme Court will hear a case challenging whether his use of a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose steep taxes on major U.S. trading partners, was unlawful.
Mr. Trump has maintained that the case is one of the most consequential not just of his presidency, but also in the country’s history. He says that tariffs have enabled him to strengthen the economy and the country’s standing in the world after years of other countries taking advantage of the United States. Some economists have noted, however, that the tariffs have contributed to price increases for American consumers.
“If we win, we will be the Richest, Most Secure Country anywhere in the World, BY FAR,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media Sunday. “If we lose, our Country could be reduced to almost Third World status — Pray to God that that doesn’t happen!”
Mr. Trump has used social media to endorse candidates in Tuesday’s elections, taking a particular interest in governor races in New Jersey and Virginia, which are seen as a forecast of what could happen in the 2026 midterm elections.
Mr. Trump has not campaigned in person in either state, but has lent considerable real estate on his social media website, Truth Social.
“Virginia and New Jersey, VOTE REPUBLICAN IF YOU WANT MASSIVE ENERGY COST AND CRIME REDUCTIONS,” he wrote on Sunday. “The Democrats will double and even triple your Energy Costs, and CRIME will be rampant. A vote for the Democrats is a DEATH WISH!”
Five minutes later, Mr. Trump posted another message assailing the Democratic candidates in both states.
While Mr. Trump initially sought to intervene in the New York City mayor’s race, he has largely resorted to threatening to punish the city if it elects Mr. Mamdani.
“It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York,” Mr. Trump told “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired on Sunday. “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
Mr. Mamdani is not a communist; he is a democratic socialist.
Asked for his reaction to the fact that some people have compared him to Mr. Mamdani, both having charisma and a knack for breaking political rules, Mr. Trump replied: “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him, right?”
Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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