Trump has dropped his plan for a $1.8 billion fund after his own party pushed back, a setback for him and a relief to critics who called it a payoff to allies.

• The fund came out of settling Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, but lawmakers in both parties branded it a slush fund.
• The main worry was that money could go to January 6 defendants, some of whom attacked police, plus a tax amnesty clause buried in the bill.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson raised objections, and Senator John Thune is now blocking an immigration enforcement bill until he gets assurance the fund won't pay Trump's friends.
• Trump said he will follow the court rulings that already froze the fund, an admission that undercuts critics who call him a would-be king.
• The deeper complaint: bills are packed with too many unrelated items, so no one knows what they're really voting for.

Outlook: The fund is "dead for now," but a fresh attempt — possibly through a commission reviewing J6 cases one by one — could revive the idea later.