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.
