The wheels are already coming off the GOP’s Donald Trump unity train.

In the first major test of relations with Capitol Hill Republicans since Trump became the party’s nominee, his attacks on federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel are sapping any goodwill he had accumulated in private meetings and phone calls with congressional Republicans. But now that House Speaker Paul Ryan and much of the party have endorsed Trump, Republicans are left with little room to maneuver other than decry his comments and hope people move on.


That’s not likely to happen anytime soon, with media attention rising and Trump refusing to back away from his attacks.

“I don’t think there’s a place for the comments that were made,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). Asked whether Trump’s comments might make Burr reconsider his endorsement, he replied: “If they were inconsistent with things we’ve seen up to this point in the election, I would tell you it might. But I think we’re all sort of used to remarks being made that we don’t expect.”

Trump’s latest comments gave the most skeptical Republicans new fodder to criticize him: Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska tweeted that the rhetoric was “the literal definition of ‘racism,’” and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said he cannot support Trump at this time.

But for members of the party now on record supporting Trump, there is no backing away.

“I’ve said everything I can say about Trump. I really have. … I’m running my own campaign, and I just don’t really want to keep talking about Trump. I just don’t,” said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, preparing to face Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) this fall. “His comments are very harmful, and that’s all I can say.”

“I felt that his comments were wrong and offensive, and I’ve urged him to retract them,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who is running for reelection against Maggie Hassan, her state’s Democratic governor. “I’m running my race and focusing on the people of New Hampshire. I’ve said he’s our nominee; I plan to vote for him, but I’m not endorsing.”

Ayotte did not comment when asked whether she shares McCain’s dim view of being asked questions about Trump. But it’s clear that Trump singling out Curiel’s ethnicity as an “absolute conflict” in the judge’s handling of a Trump University case has sparked another bout of Trump fatigue in the Capitol — and this after a weeklong recess.

Take Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the affable majority whip who is among the most accessible of GOP leaders in the Capitol. As he entered his office upon returning from recess he was asked about Trump — then again when he was leaving the floor. He called Trump’s attacks on Curiel “wrong” and a “mistake” but seemed exasperated by all the attention Trump’s rhetoric is getting as the general election campaign heats up.

“I’m just not going to talk about Donald Trump,” Cornyn said during his first gaggle with Hill reporters. “I’m not going to comment about everything he says and doesn’t say. We’d never get anything done around here. … If it’s the only thing you guys ask about, yes, it does affect our ability to talk policy.”

The second time he was asked about Trump, Cornyn said: “You guys may not be able to stop talking about Donald Trump. But I can.” Finally, in his third discussion with the media, reporters asked him about Internet privacy and Zika funding — a discussion Cornyn seemed to find refreshing in a Trump-obsessed Washington.

Indeed, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP and House Republicans are attempting to craft their own agendas to help insulate vulnerable members from Trump’s controversial brand of politics. McConnell is even on a book tour — but in his Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press,” there was more interest in whether he thought Trump was “racist” than McConnell’s searing critiques of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid or rabble-rousing former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

McConnell’s rank and file began experiencing the same phenomenon on Monday. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) declined to comment on Trump but offered that he will introduce a defense bill amendment named after Muhammad Ali to encourage public service. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said he doesn’t “condone” the comments and fretted that Trump’s divisive campaign is distracting people from “the pile of indebtedness we’re piling up.”

And Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) put it this way as he faces a competitive general election campaign for the first time in decades: “I would not have said what he said, but then I don’t know all the facts. … I think Iowans are more interested in the economy than they are in this.”

In putting out so many critical statements of Trump, Republicans are trying to prod the campaign to change its ways. When Trump speaks, he’s now speaking for the whole party, including a number of vulnerable senators and House members from battleground states and districts.

“I’m gonna keep saying that the statement was inappropriate, and I assume that there are people down the street at the campaign listening,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm.

It’s not clear that they are. On Monday afternoon, Bloomberg reported that in a conference call Monday Trump shrugged off suggestions he should back away from his criticisms of Curiel.

And Trump defenders were in short supply on Capitol Hill.

“He believes the lawsuit is not a good one, and he’s determined to fight it. I don’t know the details,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump’s first Senate supporter. He declined to discuss Trump bringing up Curiel’s ethnicity.

“My experience with Donald Trump is he doesn’t have a prejudiced bone in his body,” Orrin Hatch said. | AP Photo

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), an increasingly enthusiastic Trump supporter, called the remarks "inappropriate," but said that people had made the “deduction” that Trump accused Curiel of being unable to be impartial due to being a Mexican-American.

“My experience with Donald Trump is he doesn’t have a prejudiced bone in his body,” Hatch said.

While some, like Ayotte, were eager to advertise their criticisms of Trump, other senators were not eager to discuss the matter with reporters. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 4 GOP leader, declined to comment, and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) declined to answer questions on Trump, although he said he would address the matter “tomorrow.”

Perhaps the greatest frustration among Republicans is that Trump has taken the focus off Hillary Clinton’s emails and the divisive Democratic presidential primary — not a welcome development considering the election is still five months away. That’s five more months of responding to Trump.

“You know, you guys want to talk about this in one dimension. This is a much more dimensional issue. It’s not just about his comment,” said Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). “What we have here is a country in crisis, guys. We’ve got a debt crisis, we’ve got a global security crisis. And this guy is talking about a different direction than what we’re currently pursuing.”

