Former President Donald Trump’s power over the GOP is not waning, instead it is growing stronger. Trump’s influence surges as Democrats and President Joseph Biden tries to find ways to push their agenda through a gridlocked Congress, according to Philip Elliott, Washington correspondent for TIME and author of TIME’s weekday newsletter “The D.C. Brief”. Elliott tries to unravel some of the current Congressional complexities and make them understandable. He also charts what we might expect before the end of the year as the government struggles with legislation to increase its debt ceiling. Elliott paints a rather dire picture for Democrats approaching the mid-term elections in 2022 and gives us insight on the Georgia gubernatorial Republican primary and the monumental general election upcoming. He describes the disconnect that often appears between average Americans, working to support families, and the machinations of politicians of both parties in Washington. Elliott predicts, however, that Democrats will be rolling out major messaging events in 2022 to try to convince people of the advantages they will receive from Biden’s Build Back America efforts across the country. As a veteran Washington correspondent, Elliott gives us clear, non-partisan analysis from a seasoned perspective.