A recent story has emerged that Donald Trump is losing out within the Republican Party, given that his Senate picks are underperforming in places like Alaska and North Carolina.
While this may be true in specific circumstances, Trump's death grip on the GOP does not seem to be relaxing more broadly.
The latest evidence of that reality came Tuesday morning when Michigan Representative Fred Upton announced he would not run for a 19th term this year against fellow Republican Representative Bill Huizenga.
Upton said on the floor of the House, "Even the best stories have a last chapter." "this is for me."
While Upton made no mention of Trump, it's impossible to avoid looking at his decision to retire through that lens.
Upton angered Trump by being one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the then president for his role in the January 6 riots at the US Capitol. Trump also backed Huizenga last month.
With his announcement, Upton is now the fourth of 10 members who have opted to seek re-election, joining Reps John Katko of New York, Adam Kizinger of Illinois and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio.
"UPTON quits! 4 down and 6 to go. The others lose badly, who's next?" Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.
Of the other six, Trump has endorsed five of his GOP primary challengers.
* Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney: Trump has endorsed Harriet Hejman.
* Michigan Representative Peter Meijer: Trump has endorsed John Gibbs.
* Washington Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler: Trump has endorsed Joe Kent.
* South Carolina Representative Tom Rice: Trump has endorsed Russell Fry.
* Washington Representative Dan Newhouse: Trump has endorsed Lauren Culp.
The only Republican who voted to impeach Trump, which the former president did not endorse, is Representative David Valladao of California, a close aide of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. (The filing deadline for congressional candidates in California was March 11.)
Trump has closely monitored the political fortunes of these 10 members, each time celebrating a retirement. After news of Katko's retirement, Trump said in January, "The good news is, another one is biting the dust."
So there is no question that Trump is aggressively trying to rid the Republican Party of voices of dissent. (He's been doing this for a while; Trump helped oust Arizona Sen. Jeff Fleck from office back in 2017.)
And also there is no question that it is working. It was hard to see how the likes of Gonzalez or Kizinger or Upton could win again with Trump - and the GOP base he commands - stacked against them.
Upton's retirement should serve as a reminder to any skeptics: It's still Donald Trump's party. On Large scale.