A former congressman just put it on the line, claiming that the biggest problem the GOP is now facing is the man leading the party… Donald Trump.
Former Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) has found himself out of work because of an endorsement by Donald Trump of his opponent.
The problem, as he sees it, is that Trump is not endorsing people for their talent, but simply because they are flattering him.
This really came to light when Trump had a fallout with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who, to that point, had been very loyal to Trump.
Greene was about as loyal as it gets, but the second she challenged Trump on one issue, Trump disowned her.
She recently commented on a post on X by Daniel Horowitz, who accused Trump of adding to the swamp rather than draining it. In part, she stated, “Trump’s endorsements do not drain the swamp, his endorsements solidify the swamp and ensure the swamp is never drained. And no he is not being deceived by his team.”
That statement will be dismissed by a lot of people, but I have called out Trump on this myself. At some point, he has to be held accountable for his endorsements and appointments.
The hold that Trump had on the Republican Party is clearly not what it once was, and there is a very good reason for it.
When Trump has a falling out, he alienates those people, and it has forced people to draw lines in the sand. We are seeing more people go on the opposite side of Trump, with his time and influence running out in office. This is not a knock against Trump, it is just the natural progression of politics. When you are no longer useful, you are discarded.
To that point, Good posted, "Truth… face it… Trump IS the problem… not his advisors (that he picks because they say nice things about him on TV)… Trump himself… you would literally do better by using Trump’s endorsement to know who NOT to vote for.”
In a previous post, Good went for the throat, stating, "Trump has never made an endorsement based on the principles, character, policy positions, or qualifications of a candidate or elected official."
To the point made by both MTG and Good, we have seen people who have crushed Trump in the past suddenly become part of his inner circle.
For example, JD Vance, prior to becoming the heir apparent to MAGA, had called Trump a “con artist,” as well as saying he was too “dangerous” to be the president. Then Vance decided he wanted to run for office, and he became Trump’s biggest cheerleader, became friends with Trump Jr., and now he is vice president.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) had called Trump a “whack job,” but now she is one of Trump’s favorite people. She switched gears, starting to support Trump, and now he loves her.
The one that has always stuck with me is Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is a card-carrying member of the swamp, but he is also embedded in Trump’s inner circle.
Listen, we all have faults, and this is Trump’s. He likes to be surrounded by people who will agree with everything he does, and if they don’t, he sees them as the enemy. I have never hidden my opposition to this, and I truly believe that if Trump were more willing to negotiate within the party, he would be far more effective. If not, he will continue to alienate people in the party, and that will not bode well after the next Democrat presidency.
Dems have always had the numbers, but the GOP has the ethic and the unity. We simply cannot lose that.
