Has Donald Trump and his MAGA coalition done too much damage to the Republican party for it to survive if Trump loses in November? Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) thinks so, and so do I. Trump has rebranded the Republican party from one championing good government, free trade, reasonable regulations, and lower taxes to one synonymous with racism, climate change denial, misogyny, limitations on reproductive rights, and, of course, greed and lying. From the old Republican party, only support for lower taxes remains. And, in the case of Trump’s Republican party, that support is focused on the uber wealthy and would have been “too much” even for the party of Reagan, let alone Eisenhower or Nixon.
Liz Cheney is voting for the “liberal” Kamala Harris in November. Cheney was one of the most conservative members in the House and a vocal critic of Democrats until Trump tried to steal the 2020 election by fomenting a riot on January 6, 2021.
In suggesting that Trump may have killed the Republican Party, Cheney noted, “I don’t think it will just simply be… the Republican party is going to put up a new slate of candidates and off to the races.” She is right. Most of the Republicans I know are now hesitant to share their party affiliation. Even though many of them credit Trump with strong stewardship of the economy and keeping America out of new foreign wars, they are troubled by his racism, history of sexual assault, and criminal convictions.
One friend told me, “I never thought I’d vote for a Democrat, but who would have imagined a guy like Trump getting the Republican nomination.” The friend went on to say, “Trump lost my support on January 6. I do not understand why this guy lies so much. It’s as though he thinks everyone is too stupid to see the obvious.”
To date, Trump has maintained his grip—I would say death grip—on the Republican party. Under his stewardship, in various elections, the party has lost control of the White House, the House, and the Senate. Trump’s hand-selected candidates have been gifts to the Democratic party. Think Hershel Walker in Georgia, Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania, and Blake Masters in Arizona. This year, Trump has embraced Kari Lake as a senatorial candidate in Arizona. Unfortunately, Lake is stuck in the past. She still denies Trump’s 2020 defeat. She had hoped to be Trump’s running mate, but a Hillbilly named Vance outfoxed her.
And then there is Mark Robinson, the “Black Nazi.” CNN exposed his moral character by tracking down his messages on a porn site. Mr. Robinson, who Trump called “Martin Luther King on steroids,” will not be North Carolina’s next governor. Remind me to send Trump a thank-you note.
If Trump loses in November, he will challenge the election results. That effort will fail. The police will be ready for Trump and his followers this time. But Trump will also attempt to maintain control of the Republican party, now safely in the hands of his daughter-in-law. Trump will not want to let the party go. His delusion is so great that once it is clear that any effort to overturn the 2024 election results has failed, he may announce his candidacy for 2028.
Sane Republicans—yes, there are some—will come out of hiding but will find that nothing is left of the party that once defined them. They will have no choice but to start over. What will a new party look like? And assuming the army of MAGA supporters will not disappear, are there enough moderates and conservatives who reject Trump’s values and policies to give the new party a chance?
Nobody knows if the idea of a new party will fly. It has in the past—think Lincoln’s Republican party—but will the new party be able to raise the funds necessary to stand a chance in state and local elections, let alone national ones? We will see.
All Americans should be grateful for the courage that led Cheney to sacrifice her own political career for the cause of holding Trump accountable. She has raised critical issues for us to think about. I like where she is headed.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.
Chris Gordon says
I’ve long believed that a system with three viable parties would be far superior to a system with only two. I won’t go into why that is but I can see, for the first time in this country, that a three party system could arise from the rubble left by Trump’s departure. I know there are very few who agree with me on this but I remain hopeful, more so than ever.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading my piece. I’m not sure about three parties but you may be right–especially because there is a very large group of voters that consider themselves independents because the Ds are too left and the Rs are too right.
Rich Caldwell says
Count me in as a ‘me too’ on the idea of Trump likely taking the Republican party down with him this fall. I think a massive blow-out and rejection by voters could be lurking in the cards. My dear mother, 95, who considers herself an ‘old-school’ Republican, will be devastated and bewildered.
In my view, ‘MAGA’ = ‘radical reactionary’. The wrack and ruin threatened and/or caused to date by Trump and the Radical Reactionary Republicans to the U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, Executive Branch, state legislatures, your local school board, plus decorum and societal good manners in general is hard to even visualize. I hear we spent over $500 million just keeping the National Guard in DC after January 6th. That’s only the monetary cost.
I get the sense the rest of us non-weird citizens are simply longing to get back to government that will function absent obstruction and manipulation by a swarm of cynical and psychotic idealogues and lobbyists. I don’t mourn the Whigs; I won’t mourn the Republican Party. I trust that the reasonable people left after its post-Trump disintegration will find a way forward together. Maybe chastened by the lesson in how easy it is for radical reactionaries to use democracy for the purpose of ending democracy.
Will everything be just hunky-dory when Kamala and Tim are in office? Doubtful. Will we agree on everything after the fall? Absolutely not. Will it take a while for the post-election caterwauling to die down? Probably. Can we respect each other’s points of view and use the governmental system we’ve inherited (warts and all) to resolve our agreements and disagreements into forward action for the country? I do believe so, yes.
John Dean says
Thank you for your comment. It is nice to read something positive.
Gren Whitman says
From Strom Thurmond’s “Dixiecrats” in 1948 to Tail-Gunner Joe McCarthy to Tricky Dick to Reagan to Gingrich to Hastert to Palin to Bachmann to Kevin McCarthy, Gaetz, Cruz, and Marjorie Three Names, the GOP turned itself into a Trump just waiting to happen.
John Dean says
Agreed. Good point. It was only a matter of time before someone as dangerous as Trump seized control of the party.
Rudolph Jenkins says
I needed a good laugh. Thank you J.E. Dean.
John Dean says
You’re welcome. You obviously have a very sophisticated sense of humor. Most of the readers of my piece did not catch the humor.