Generally speaking, on the morning after the party in power in the White House suffers defeats across the board in state and local elections, elected officials of the president’s party seek to “distance” themselves from the president or make plain their “disagreements” with parts of the president’s “agenda.” We will see some of this.
What is different about this particular set of circumstances is the Trump White House expects and demands total loyalty to and compliance with Mr. Trump’s “agenda.” The Trump White House (meaning Mr. Trump himself) will threaten to punish those who waver. He will be eager to do so immediately, to intimidate others who might be (or are) wavering.
This will cause significant stress for the Republican leadership in Congress and GOP officer-holders across the country. They may think distance is necessary for survival (especially in purple-ish states and Congressional districts). They fear retribution. At some point, they will have to choose.
(This is especially noteworthy because (a) Ellis rarely editorializes on news items and (b) he is kin to the Bush family, with deep GOP roots.)