By Bill Schneider, professor of policy, government and international affairs at George Mason University

President Donald Trump doesn’t like losers. He thinks Republican leaders in Congress are losers.

“They look like fools,” he tweeted after Republican senators failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Trump’s former chief strategist Stephen Bannon told Charlie Rose, “They do not want Donald Trump’s populist, economic nationalist agenda to be implemented.”

The Great Washington Smackdown is on!

But it’s not Republicans versus Democrats. It’s Trump versus Republican leaders of Congress. The president blames them for failing to deliver what he wants.

So do rank-and-file Republican voters. “The average person blames Congress for the failure to enact this president’s agenda,’’ said a Trump supporter who is planning to challenge a Republican member of Congress in next year’s primaries. “And personally, I think they’re right.”

The Republican Party is now the Trump Party. Trump’s attacks have left the Republican establishment on Capitol Hill bitter and isolated, while Trump’s support remains solid with Republican voters around the country.

Conflicts between presidents and Congress are not unusual in American politics, even when they are controlled by the same party. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson and Bill Clinton all faced opposition from conservative Democrats. What’s different for Trump is that he’s fighting with his party’s leaders in Congress. And the recriminations have gotten harsh and personal.

“Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed ‘repeal and replace’ for 7 years, couldn't get it done?” Trump tweeted. “Mitch, get back to work.”