Why not tax the millionaires? That question won't seem to go away as Congress begins drafting a package of tax breaks and spending cuts for President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." Trump himself has mused he'd "love" to tax wealthier Americans a little bit more. But the Republican president has also repeatedly walked it back. This week, Trump dismissed a tax hike on millionaires as "disruptive." The old guard of the Republican Party sees almost any tax hike as contrary to the GOP brand, while populists view it as championing working-class voters. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he's "not in favor of raising the tax rates."

Republican officials, strategists and activists who packed into their national convention this week are exuding a confidence not seen in decades. Boos and infighting marred Donald Trump's first convention in 2016. But this one in Milwaukee was defined by overwhelming displays of party unity as GOP leaders and even Trump skeptics reveled in the excitement of what many view as an all but certain victory in November. Many describe Trump's near-assassination last week in Pennsylvania as the last piece to bring everyone together in spite of Trump's personal and political baggage. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are intensifying lobbying efforts to force President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 race, believing he cannot win.