GOP lawmakers have 'every incentive to back Trump' — even on ideas they 'privately disdain'

20 March

When President Richard Nixon was facing Watergate-related articles of impeachment in 1974, he talked to Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) to see how things might go in an impeachment trial. Goldwater, one of the most prominent figures in the conservative movement at the time, was blunt — letting Nixon know that he would likely be a "guilty" vote. Nixon, feeling that he had become politically toxic even in his own party, gave his resignation speech on August 8, 1974.

In contrast, the GOP rallied around Donald Trump in 2024 despite the fact that he was facing four criminal indictments in 2024 and had been convicted on 34 felony counts in one of the cases. And after Trump narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the election, his iron grip on the GOP was evident when Senate Republicans confirmed his most controversial nominees —including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

That iron grip, according to Axios reporters Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, is underscored by the submission of GOP lawmakers.

In an article published on March 20, VandeHei and Allen explain, "To fully appreciate President Trump's mesmerizing control over Republicans, consider their scant public dissent over ideas many of them privately disdain: (1) support for Vladimir Putin, (2) support for on-again, off-again tariffs, and a worsening economy, (3) support Elon Musk's haphazard budget-cutting, (4) making Canada the 51st state, (5) pardoning most January 6 defendants."

The Axios reporters continue, "Why it matters: It's the worst-kept secret in town: Most elected Republicans are staying silent on issues they find dubious, dumb or destructive. In private, they're more forthcoming about their concerns and their mixed motivations for zipping their lips — genuine support for Trump and genuine fear of crossing him. Almost universally, Republicans have convinced themselves that by winning a second time, Trump earned whatever Cabinet he wants, and the freedom to pursue the policies of his choice."

GOP lawmakers, according to VandeHei and Allen, "see no upside" to standing up to Trump — and the president and his close ally, billionaire Tesla/SpaceX/X.com leader Elon Musk, "would torch them publicly and on social media, and almost certainly threaten a primary challenge."

VandeHei and Allen note that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) experienced "constant harassment" when she indicated that she might vote against confirming Hegseth, while Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) received "death threats." Ernst and Tillis both caved and voted "yes" on Hegseth.

VandeHei and Allen write, "The bottom line: Politics is all about incentives. And every Republican incentive is to back Trump — and make sure he and MAGA media know it."

Read Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen's full Axios article at this link.

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