Congressional Republicans are leaving office at a higher rate than ever seen before. 44 House Republicans have already announced their retirement or resignation, leaving room for Democrats to take their place. Democrats only need 24 seats to maintain a majority in the House, which they have lost control of since 2011. One would think that the retirement is strategic, following the "March for Our Lives" movement, in which students from Parkland, Florida are encouraging young voters to vote Democratic candidates into office, however, that is not the case. In fact, Congressional districts with higher ratings for Trump's approval have more Republicans retiring, such as Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida's 17th District, where the district support for Trump is 62.2%, and Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania's 9th District, where district support for Trump is at 69.7%.

Rep. Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania's 6th District cited Trump for the massive retirement rate. “Whether it's Stormy Daniels, or passing an omnibus spending bill that the president threatens to veto after promising to sign, it’s very difficult to move forward in a constructive way today," he stated. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona focused his entire retirement speech on Trump, stating,  “there are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles, now is such a time.” Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania's 15th District told CNN, "the President was a factor" in his retirement as well. The fate of the Republican party in Congress can and will be determined in the midterm election this November.