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.
William Keppen says
Both Democrats and (hold you nose) Republicans should be voting Harris in November. It is a matter of principles.
John Dean says
Yes!
Michael John Oliver says
I truly enjoyed your pining of such a well written documented article! Your inclusion of people places and things. Was extremely interesting for me as a former Republican supporter. I would think more people would be enlightened enough to read your article. Sincerely Michael J. Oliver MFA.
John Dean says
Thank you for your very kind words.
Wilson Dean says
JE Dean, I think both Liz Cheney and you are correct – the Republican party as it currently stands could not survive a Trump loss in the upcoming election. The reason is simple. Trump has transformed the responsible Republican party we knew pre-2016 into a personal cult. Even if Trump were to reverse himself and decide to run again in 2028, his legacy of having lost twice would cause the enthusiasm of his cult worshipers to fizzle out. I just don’t see a JD Vance or Ron DeSantis (or anyone else) being able to redirect the kind of cult following Trump was able to create toward themselves. That would hopefully leave the currently diminished group of principled Republicans to re-establish a responsible party structure so that once again we could all benefit from a substantive discussion between our two political parties of differing but intellectually sound views that democracies are supposed to have.
John Dean says
Thanks for an excellent comment—all good points. I would welcome the “currently diminished group of principled Republicans” to re-establish a responsible party structure so that all of us could benefit from a substantive discussion between two political parties.
Paul Rybon says
Wow. From the tone and rhetoric of this piece and the companion piece it’s pretty obvious that the Dems primary goal, if elected to office, is to continue trying to destroy ,not only Donald Trump and JD Vance but the Supreme Court and the Republican party too. And who better to head that plan up than a former DA, who doesn’t seem to have any other qualifications.
Conspicuously absent is any serious discussion. About any of the daunting issues that confront this country. Somewhere buried is some notion of the folly of tarrifs, apparently forgetting the ones repeated by all the recent POTUSES including Biden himself.
So, if they win everything it’s only natural that we will be experiencing a constant purge of the Republicans while the country continues it’s depressing slide into an economic abyss. On the other hand if Donald does miraculously win the election and if he pulls together a favorable Congress, look for no improvement in the acrimonious climate that the Dems and press have created.
Meanwhile, most of Harris’s proposals seem to be a contradiction to ones she’s made in the past while accusing the Republicans of espousing stuff like Project 2025, which they have constantly disavowed. At least Trump has.
Democrats are fond of referring to the Republicans platforms as fear-mongering, but it’s becoming abundantly clear that there IS much to fear. Issues like inflation, invasion, and the China threat aren’t going to go away by themselves. Folks are going numb from all the hate and threats. We want to hear some strategies about economic and social healing other than taxing the rich which will never happen. We have to start trusting in some system of positive governance instead of prosecutorial vengeance. We need normalcy and a confirmation of civil rights like we’re not getting from the present administration. I think it can happen with a Trump-Vance administration if we give them half a chance.
J. Dean says
Thanks for reading my piece. I think you missed something in it and in Liz Cheney’s comment. Former Rep. Cheney said that Trump’s damage to the Republican party makes it hard to imagine it surviving should Trump win in November. I agree with that. I also think Democrats are not trying to “destroy” the Supreme Court. I’m not sure how you reached that conclusion.
I won’t respond to your other claims other than to say I’m a different page–a very different page.
chris kayhoe says
Ask Kamala about Joe’s Dementia LIE for the last 3.9 years. 15 million illegals are in this country on US taxpayers Credit Card. Think again about who you want to Run this Country. Or Do you have Dementia also ?
John Dean says
Thank you for reading my piece. May I suggest you read “Lucky Loser” to learn a bit more about Donald Trump? And I have thought about who should “Run this Country.” It is not 78-year old Donald Trump.
Jeff Staley says
Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are courageous. We need more like them in Congress. If they decide to run again, they deserve our support no matter what party they represent. Trump represents so many bad impulses. He needs to go away. His benefits are and have always been illusions built on lies.
christine durham says
Great journalistic piece on the current state of the republican party, reminds me of the letter john eisenhower wrote way back when he sent a letter to the star democrat saying that he ‘no longer recognized the republican party that he had been a member of all his life, so he dropped out’!