- After Trump’s performance at the midterms, Republicans have been openly criticizing Trump.
- GOP strategists have mixed feelings about whether Trump will move.
- One said, “We are at the beginning point and don’t know whether that continues or not.”
After candidates he endorsed failed in the midterm elections they have been publicly sour on Trump. But it is not clear if that drumbeat will be enough to force him out of the party’s leadership role.
“There’s an old Frank Sinatra song in which he says, “I’ve seen that song before.” — We’ve heard this song before,” Doug Heye, a veteran GOP strategist, told Insider on Thursday. “What are we not sure of is the meaning of the second verse and if Republicans will actually follow it.”
Trump supported many Republican candidates in important races who supported his politics and believed his false claims about 2020. Although many of their candidates won in primaries, they failed to garner the support necessary to win a general elections. Trump acolytes running in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or Michigan for governor lost. Trump’s endorsed Republican Mehmet Oz, who was also in Pennsylvania, lost a Senate seat the party had hoped to secure a majority. Hopes of a red tsunami in the House were dashed.
Gunner Ramer of the anti-Trump group Republican Accountability Project stated that the results of Tuesday’s election and other key races are a sign of what happens when Donald Trump is elected president. “His candidates repel swing voters and it’s not going be helpful if your goal is to form a winning coalition when it comes time to a general election.”
Trump’s disappointing performance has led to calls for him to be resigned. A number of politicians, strategists, media personalities, and even newly elected officials blame Trump for the party’s failures and losses.
“I would love to see the party go forward,” Rep.-elect Michael Lawler, New York CNNThursday “I believe that if you’re focused on the future, the past can be avoided.”
However, some people aren’t so sure that Trump will actually be let go because of his strong base.
Insider learned from a former House Republican leadership adviser that Trump would take his core supporters with him if he is forced out in any manner. “And the Republican party is just not in a place to make that deal.”
History offers plenty of reasons to be skeptical. The blast-Trump-then-backtrack game has happened countless times before, from when he first made controversial comments on the 2016 campaign trail to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot: Republicans criticize him, but then quickly forgive and embrace him again.
“You had a president who incited an attack against the Capitol building to try and overturn an election. “It’s difficult to imagine anything more grave than a sitting president could commit,” the aide stated. “But, the party refused his resignation because they were afraid to lose his supporters.”
Some Republicans believe this time will be different. The party’s victory in Florida by Ron DeSantis is a clear indication that there are other candidates to lead it.
Josh Novotney (a Republican strategist who worked for Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania) said that “I believe we can, as parties, probably move forward with fresh blood.” “My gut says that this is a wake up call for those who are still supportive of it.” [Trump]Others who were silent on the issue may be more vocal and say, “It’s time for us to move on.”
Current frustrations over Trump also don’t mean much unless the chorus continues, and at all levels — local, state, and national, strategists say.
Heye stated, “We are at a starting point and we don’t know if it continues or not.”
