Trump's grip on GOP leaves Republicans searching for relevance — and a way back

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a White House press briefing , February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Watching MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), one is often reminded that President Donald Trump is not universally loved on the right. The cable news outlet leans liberal or center-left, yet some of its hosts are conservative Trump critics who were prominent figures in the GOP in the past — including former Rep. Joe Scarborough, ex-White House Communications Director Nicolle Wallace and former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele. Moreover, Never Trump conservatives and libertarians are frequent MS NOW guests, including attorney George Conway, New York Times columnist David French, former Judge J. Michael Luttig, The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson and The Bulwark's Tim Miller.

But the anti-Trump conservatives and libertarians who are plentiful on MS NOW or write for The Bulwark are no longer major players in the Republican Party. Many have left the GOP altogether. And in an article published by the New York Times on February 22, reporter Tim Balk examines the debates Never Trump conservatives are having over anti-MAGA strategies.

"Some of President Trump's most vocal Republican critics are divided over the future of a party that has pushed them to the margins, reflecting a fractured movement still trying to find its footing a decade after Mr. Trump rose to power," Balk explains. "Their differing views about what should come after the Trump Administration were evident as they gathered at a summit near Washington that has become an annual stop for figures in what is known as the 'Never Trump' movement."

Balk continues, "Mr. Trump's 2024 election win reinforced his grip on the GOP and left many of his critics inside the party without a natural political domain. Now, members of this splintering faction are contemplating their route back to relevance once Trump leaves office. There is much they disagree on, interviews show, including who would make an appealing presidential candidate in 2028. Does the most promising path involve, as some believe, expanding a foothold in a Democratic Party strongly opposed to Mr. Trump? Is it simply a matter, as others maintain, of waiting — hoping, perhaps — for Republicans to move on from the president and his MAGA movement once he leaves office?"

Although still conservative, Conway and former Rep. Joe Walsh — who was a prominent figure in the Tea Party during Barack Obama's presidency — are now registered Democrats.

John Giles, who formerly served as mayor of Mesa, Arizona as a Republican, isn't optimistic about the GOP moving away from Trumpism.

Giles, one of the conservatives who endorsed Kamala Harris when he spokes at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, told the Times, "I'm not sure what I'm fighting for at this. I don't see any kind of pushback in the Republican Party right now."

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