A warning sign flares as the Trump White House refuses to moderate its

CNN
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Rep. Elise Stefanik’s swift rise was a barometer of the power of Trumpism.

But a sudden interruption in her ascent reveals warning signs for the White House and caps a tough week in which the inevitable reverberations of President Donald Trump’s political shock therapy began to threaten his agenda.

Trump withdrew Stefanik’s nomination to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday, indicating concern about a special election in her seat given the already-tiny Republican majority in the House.

It was a bitter blow for the New York Republican that will deprive her of a platform she could have used to speak for Trump’s “America first” policies and to build her own profile ahead of a possible tilt at even higher office in years to come. It was also a poor reward for her loyalty to the president and her journey away from mainstream Republicanism, which critics say suppressed principle for ambition. Trump promised Stefanik would be returned to the House GOP leadership after giving up her No. 3 spot and suggested she may get an administration post down the road.

But the setback for Stefanik was a rare admission by the president that even his trademark brashness and zeal for unchecked power cannot always supersede political logic. And his reversal on Stefanik is a sign of political vulnerability only two months into his already-turbulent second term.

Democrats might be flailing in response to Trump’s shock-and-awe return to the Oval Office. And the GOP is still rock-solid behind a president who uses intimidation to enforce party loyalty. But he is not immune from political gravity. And he just endured a nightmare week in which several potentially damaging political crises were directly attributable to his approach and strategy.

The White House is still trying to quell the controversy over secret details of pending military strikes in Yemen posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a group chat that mistakenly included a journalist. The episode made Trump’s national security team look like amateurs and highlighted the risks of picking senior officials who lack experience but look good on TV and share their boss’s disruptive tendencies.

There are also signs that Elon Musk’s purge of the federal government is beginning to create confusion that could threaten vital services and cause a political backlash. The Social Security Administration backtracked on another reform measure as staff cuts imposed by the Department of Government Efficiency caused long waits at agency offices and scared benefits recipients.

Another signature Trump initiative — his vow to quickly end the war in Ukraine — is also…