Donald Trump began the week confronting problems on several fronts.
By the end of it, the list had grown considerably.
Mortgage rates jumped. Oil remained above $100 a barrel. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates despite Trump's demands for lower rates. A Fox News poll found nearly two-thirds of registered voters saying his administration had made the economy worse.
The Supreme Court blocked his administration's attempt to impose new restrictions affecting mail ballots.
Another federal judge rejected another attempt to put Trump's name on the Kennedy Center.
Republicans joined Democrats in voting to end U.S. involvement in the Iran war.
A Republican congresswoman publicly warned Trump that Hispanic voters who helped elect him feel betrayed by his immigration policies.
Another Republican moved to impeach Trump's defense secretary.
Then Republican House leaders sent Congress home early.
Taken individually, each was a setback or political challenge.
Taken together, they made for a remarkable week for the Trump administration.
The Economy Delivered Some of the Worst News
Trump has repeatedly argued that his policies are producing a strong American economy.
But voters aren't necessarily seeing it that way.
A Fox News poll released Wednesday found 63 percent of registered voters said the Trump administration has made the economy worse.
That included roughly one-quarter of Republicans.
The same survey showed the everyday expenses confronting Americans remain major concerns.
Sixty-two percent called grocery prices a major problem.
Sixty-one percent said the same about gasoline.
Fifty-four percent cited housing costs.
And 64 percent said Trump's tariffs were hurting the U.S. economy.
The poll does not prove that every economic problem is caused by Trump administration policies. Presidents do not independently control inflation, oil markets, mortgage rates or interest rates.
But politically, presidents are frequently judged by economic conditions occurring while they are in office.
And this week's numbers were difficult for the White House to ignore.
Mortgage Rates Jumped to 6.95 Percent
Then came housing.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.95 percent, its highest level in roughly a year and a half.
A year earlier it stood at 6.26 percent.
For families trying to buy a home, seemingly small changes in mortgage rates can translate into hundreds of dollars in additional monthly payments.
Trump cannot directly set mortgage rates.
They are influenced heavily by Treasury yields, inflation expectations and broader financial-market conditions.
But for an administration already confronting widespread concern over affordability, another increase in borrowing costs added to the week's economic difficulties.
The Federal Reserve Did Exactly What Trump Didn't Want
Trump has repeatedly demanded substantially lower interest rates.
The Federal Reserve went the other direction.
On Wednesday, the Fed voted 12-0 to raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, putting the federal funds target range at 3.75 to 4 percent.
It was the first Fed rate increase since 2023.
Perhaps the most striking part was who joined that unanimous vote:
Kevin Warsh, Trump's own choice to lead the Federal Reserve.
The Fed cited persistent inflation, including pressure associated with higher energy prices.
Trump has argued that rates should instead be dramatically lower.
But the Federal Reserve is designed to make monetary-policy decisions independently of the White House.
This week it exercised that independence.
Oil Above $100 and the Iran War
Then there is oil.
The war with Iran has disrupted global energy markets and pushed oil prices dramatically higher.
Brent crude ended Friday above $104 per barrel, while U.S. crude was around $100.
Those increases have consequences far beyond the oil market.
Higher energy costs can affect gasoline, diesel, aviation, manufacturing and transportation — eventually feeding into the price of goods throughout the economy.
That creates a particularly difficult political problem for Trump.
He has defended the Iran war as necessary for national security.
But Americans are increasingly experiencing its economic consequences at gas stations and elsewhere.
And Congress is showing growing resistance to continuing the conflict.
Seven Republicans Vote Against Trump on Iran
On Tuesday, the House voted 220-204 to direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran.
Every Democrat voting supported the resolution.
More importantly for Trump, seven Republicans joined them.
It was the third successful House vote seeking to end American involvement in the war.
The vote alone does not end the conflict. The Senate still has a role, and Trump could veto a measure that reaches his desk.
But politically, the vote demonstrated something increasingly significant:
Opposition to the Iran war is no longer confined to Democrats.
Some Republicans are now publicly breaking with their own president over it.
The Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Mail-Ballot Rules
Trump also suffered a setback at the Supreme Court.
His administration sought emergency permission to implement new Postal Service requirements affecting mail ballots ahead of the November midterms.
The Supreme Court refused.
The Court said the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” and that the requirements for emergency relief had not been satisfied.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh — one of Trump's own Supreme Court appointees — wrote separately that implementing the rule for the 2026 election would be arbitrary and capricious because election officials didn't have enough time to comply.
Trump responded by criticizing members of the conservative-majority Court.
But for the upcoming election, the result is straightforward:
The administration's new mail-ballot system will not take effect as planned.
Another Judge Says No to Trump's Kennedy Center Name
Trump's effort to attach his name to the Kennedy Center encountered another obstacle as well.
A federal judge blocked key portions of another proposal involving Trump-related naming and memorials at the performing-arts institution.
It followed an earlier ruling requiring the institution to remain the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and ordering Trump's name removed.
The administration and Kennedy Center leadership had pursued alternative ways of recognizing Trump at the facility.
The court again intervened.
Trump subsequently threatened to prevent planned renovations from moving forward unless the naming dispute is resolved in his favor.
Whatever happens next, another week ended without Trump's name being restored to the Kennedy Center.
A Republican Warns Trump: Hispanic Voters “Feel Betrayed”
One of the week's most striking political warnings came from inside Trump's own party.
Florida Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar released a campaign advertisement speaking directly to the president.
Her message was blunt:
“The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
Salazar said some of Trump's immigration-enforcement policies had “gone too far.”
That doesn't establish that all Hispanic Trump voters share her assessment.
But Salazar represents a heavily Hispanic South Florida district and has generally supported Trump.
That made her decision to deliver the warning publicly notable.
Trump responded by criticizing Salazar and arguing that she owed her political success to him.
The dispute exposed another problem for Republicans heading toward the midterms: how to maintain Trump's immigration agenda without alienating voters who may support stronger border enforcement but object to some enforcement tactics.
Then an ICE Officer Shot a Man in Austin
Immigration enforcement was already politically contentious when another incident occurred Sunday.
An ICE officer shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez during an enforcement operation in Austin, Texas.
He was hospitalized after being shot in the torso.
The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, and it would be premature to determine whether the officer's use of force was justified.
Austin officials are demanding independent scrutiny and access to the evidence.
The incident comes after multiple shootings involving federal immigration officers during Trump's expanded enforcement campaign, including fatal encounters in Houston, Maine and Minneapolis.
For an administration already confronting questions about immigration-enforcement tactics, Austin added another developing controversy.
And Then Republicans Sent Congress Home
Washington provided one final remarkable image for the week:
An empty House chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled Thursday's votes and sent representatives home early for their pre-election recess.
Unless lawmakers are recalled, they aren't scheduled to return for votes until after the November 3 midterms.
Johnson says the House completed its work.
But Congress left plenty behind.
The Iran war continues.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was attempting to force consideration of articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Massie was also involved in the bipartisan effort seeking additional Jeffrey Epstein-related government records.
Those fights will now wait.
The early departure is particularly notable because the House has already eliminated a net 24 legislative days from this year's schedule, according to an Associated Press tally.
That is roughly one-quarter of its originally scheduled legislative days.
The 119th Congress remains unfinished, so its final legislative output cannot yet be compared directly with completed Congresses.
But its pace of laws enacted has placed it among the least productive Congresses of the modern era by that traditional measure.
A Week When Several Problems Converged
Not every setback this week was caused by Donald Trump.
Mortgage rates are determined by financial markets.
The Federal Reserve operates independently.
Oil prices are influenced by global supply and geopolitical events.
Federal judges make their own decisions.
Congress is a separate branch of government.
And individual incidents involving federal law-enforcement officers must be investigated on their own facts.
But presidents are ultimately judged in part by what happens during their administrations.
And during one seven-day period, Trump confronted an unusual combination of political, economic and legal problems:
Mortgage rates approaching 7 percent.
Oil above $100.
A Federal Reserve rate increase he publicly opposed.
A Fox News poll showing 63 percent of voters saying his administration has made the economy worse.
A Supreme Court defeat over mail voting.
Another Kennedy Center court defeat.
Republicans defecting over the Iran war.
A Republican congresswoman publicly warning that some Hispanic supporters feel betrayed.
An ICE shooting generating demands for an independent investigation.
A Republican attempting to impeach Trump's defense secretary.
And a Republican-controlled House going home early with major disputes unresolved.
Any administration can have a difficult week.
For Donald Trump, this one produced setbacks from nearly every direction at once.