'Identity crisis' throws House Freedom Caucus in hot water with Trumpworld: report

07 April 2024

Although the GOP is now often considered and referred to as the party of Donald Trump, the far-right corner of US Congress has become what Trump world officials consider a threat to a second term for the former president, according to The Daily Beast.

Many times "the first line of defense" during Trump's presidency, the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), once led by former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — who was charged alongside Trump in the Georgia election interference case — the group is now led by a Republican congressman many MAGA insiders do not consider an ally.

US Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) originally drew Trump's ire in the early stages of 2024 election campaigning, when he backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president over the MAGA hopeful.

Per the Beast, a source "close to Trump said the former president realizes Good begged him for an endorsement, 'and then turned around and endorsed DeSantis.'"

Good backed Trump immediately after DeSantis dropped out of the race, but the endorsement has yet to change the way those in Trumpworld views the Virginia lawmaker. In fact, according to the report, "the former president’s orbit was 'pissed' when the Freedom Caucus made Good its next chairman."

The Beast notes Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita told a local Virginia news outlet recently, "Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him."

Aside from the caucus chair's tarnished relationship with the ex-president's camp, the report also notes "a Trumpworld source told The Daily Beast that it’s not just Good who has set off alarm bells for Trump and his allies; other figures, like Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)—another DeSantis endorser who has taken a prominent role in the Freedom Caucus—are a sign that the HFC won’t have the same relationship it once had with Trump should he win the White House."

The Beast reports, "Yes, the HFC has always had disagreements with Trump. But during his presidency, defending Trump became a primary function of the group. It’s why one of the group’s founders, Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), mutually agreed to leave the group when he decided to support Trump’s impeachment."

US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — who was kicked out of the caucus in 2023, deemed the group under Good's direction, “one of the most dangerous things to Trump’s next administration."

Good has also faced recent criticism from other GOP House members — some of whom are actively campaigning against the caucus chair for his opponent, John McGuire. Perhaps, unfortunately for the caucus chair, McGuire is an unwavering Trump supporter.

"The HFC has an identity crisis," a Trump source emphasized to the Beast. "Some want to be Trumpy, some want to oppose the speaker, some want to make deals. There’s no identity."

The Daily Beast's full report is available here (subscription required).

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