The Republicans in control of Congress – for now – face many concerns as November's midterm elections loom.

And President Donald Trump keeps placing himself at the top of their list of concerns, to the benefit of Democrats who hope to seize control of the House and Senate in those elections.

Over the weekend, for instance, Trump took some time off from having no definable plan for his war in Iran to show that he also has no viable solution for problems here at home as a partial government shutdown causes problems at airports.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been trying to negotiate an agreement to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security – except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement – which would restart payment of salaries for Transportation Security Administration employees who work at airports.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, presented a version of that plan on March 22 to Trump, who rejected it, according to Punchbowl News.

Presented with a solution, Trump instead insisted on making the problem worse. He demanded that his administration scramble to send ICE agents to 13 airports around the country and set an ultimatum for ending the shutdown: that the Senate pass his so-called SAVE America Act, which would make it harder for some Americans to vote.

Trump chooses chaos as TSA lines grow longer

Trump, in a March 22 social media post, inextricably linked that legislation to the partial government shutdown, calling the SAVE America Act "far more important than anything else we are doing in the Senate." He also threatened any Republican who does not back the legislation, vowing, "They will never be elected again!"

Trump doubled down on March 23 while speaking in Memphis, telling Republicans in Congress, "Don't make any deal on anything" before passing the SAVE America Act. And he made it very weird, telling the Republican lawmakers they should work through their break for Easter – 12 days from now – and "make this one for Jesus, OK?"

In short, Trump made sure we all saw that he alone creates the chaos, and that he is not finished creating the chaos.

Thune has repeatedly said the SAVE America Act does not have enough support in the Senate to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold, and that killing the filibuster – which Trump has also demanded – also lacks enough votes to pass.

Trump's erratic and impulsive outburst here is a gift to congressional Democrats, who prompted the partial government shutdown on Jan. 31 by refusing to fund DHS unless reforms were implemented for how ICE agents operate.

Trump and his Republican allies have consistently tried to blame Democrats for long lines snaking through airports as travelers try to clear security, with absenteeism from unpaid TSA workers increasing. Democrats could have been stuck with the blame as the problem expanded.

But then Trump stomped on his own messaging – four times.

Trump's fix is sending ICE agents to airports

First, Trump rejected a solution. Then he intensified that turmoil by sending ICE agents into airports with no training or a clear mission. Trump also ordered the ICE agents not to wear masks to conceal their identities, a key reform the Democrats have been seeking. And then he threatened to make it all worse by also deploying National Guard units to the airports.

By linking all that to the prospects for the SAVE America Act, Trump has guaranteed that he and the Republican Party own the airport problem and whatever comes next. Anyone who has paid any attention to ICE over the past year knows that where these federal agents go, chaos and catastrophe follow.

A CBS News/YouGov poll released March 22 held a little good news for Democrats and plenty of bad news for Trump.

The survey showed a fairly even split on the Democratic Party's position about ICE reforms, with 31% saying the shutdown was worth it, 36% saying it was not worth it and 33% unsure.

Of those surveyed, 42% said the Republican positions were not worth a shutdown, while just 23% said it was worth it and 35% were unsure. So, by a small margin, Republicans are losing this messaging battle.

It's worse for Trump.

The survey found that about 3 in 5 Americans think Trump is focused too much on international matters and not enough on domestic issues. And 54% said ICE operations should be decreased, just as Trump pushes the controversial agency to center stage.

At home and abroad, Trump offers only bluster and bombast with no instinct for long-range planning or problem-solving. He started a war with Iran that he doesn't know how to end, destabilizing the Middle East for an unexplainable "excursion." He was offered a solution for airport security delays at home and countered by upping the chaos.

Can Trump keep up this arbitrary and unreliable approach to governing until November? I'm betting the Democratic Party hopes so.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.

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