Centrist Republicans in Congress who have publicly criticized President Donald Trump have nonetheless turned out to be reliable votes for his Cabinet nominees. This may be due to fear of retribution.
That's according to a Wednesday article in Vanity Fair, which quoted several Republicans who say there's fear among GOP elected officials in Washington D.C. about the potential for political violence from Trump's base if they outwardly oppose him. Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman spoke with longtime Republican strategist Stuart Stevens — who worked for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign before joining anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project — who said today's Republicans have lost their spine.
"These are the heirs of the Greatest Generation, and they turned out to be the worst generation," he said. "A guy sends a mob into your workplace to kill you, and you’re okay with that?"
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One of the more moderate members of the Senate Republican Conference who has publicly criticized Trump is Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is running for reelection in 2026 in a relatively purple state. But Tillis turned out to be the deciding vote to confirm former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. One of Sherman's sources said Tillis was made aware of "credible death threats" by the FBI ahead of the final vote.
"They’re scared s---less about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff," said an unnamed source who worked in the first Trump administration.
However, some anti-Trump conservatives are more skeptical of the claim that moderate Republicans are being cowed into submission by the prospect of violence. Columnist Bill Kristol, who is a co-founder of conservative online news outlet the Bulwark, told Vanity Fair he's a "little less sympathetic" to powerful elected officials in Washington worried about their personal safety.
"Senators can probably get quite a bit of protection if they need it," Kristol said.
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Click here to read Vanity Fair's full article (subscription required).