For all the procedural losses, Trump’s allies saw the late-night Senate drama as a turning point, not a defeat. The SAVE Act’s backers proved that a majority of Senate Republicans are now openly aligned with Trump’s demand to tighten federal election rules by requiring proof of citizenship. Susan Collins’ flipped vote on the second amendment signaled that GOP resistance is shrinking, even as Mitch McConnell and a small bloc of Republicans remain wary of breaking Senate norms.

The real battle has shifted from votes to rules. Conservatives are now openly targeting the filibuster and the Parliamentarian’s power, insisting that “zombie” procedures are blocking the will of both voters and a Senate majority. Whether Republicans risk changing those rules will determine if the SAVE Act becomes a defining triumph of Trump’s second term—or a symbol of how his agenda can still be stalled in Washington.