Last week, Trump led a rally outside the Capitol opposing the Iran deal — enthusiastically attended by a half-dozen House Republicans who are Boehner critics — during which he made a blunt declaration about the party’s elder statesmen in Congress: “We are led by very, very stupid people.”

Influential Republicans say the current political environment has terrified dozens of rank-and-file lawmakers who support Boehner but fear that another vote to back up the beleaguered speaker could lead to a backlash from conservatives in their districts.

“This is a continuation of the strange virus that’s running through the Republican Party, which I define as a weird form of right-wing Marxism where people are using Saul Alinsky-type tactics,” said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a Boehner confidant, likening the conservatives to the late radical activist from the 1960s.