U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event to deliver remarks to NCAA Collegiate National Champions in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Ex-conservative Jennifer Rubin is blaming the Republican Party for digging its own political grave.
Writing for The Contrarian on Thursday, Rubin explained that there is a small list of mistakes that the GOP has made over the past several decades that have ultimately eaten away at what was left of their party.
First, Rubin listed, they tied the GOP "to their cult leader, rubber-stamping his nominees, cheering every policy (no matter how disastrous), giving him a green light on a hugely unpopular war (despite his failure to consult with Congress on it), ignoring his mental unraveling, and turning a blind eye toward his massive corruption."
During President Donald Trump's second term, he appointed loyalists who refused to say "no" to him, unlike many people in the first administration. Giving carte blanche to Trump has ultimately resulted in whims becoming policy that are not only wildly unpopular but drag down anyone associated with it.
Rubin explained that the only place this dedication to Trump works is in "Republican primaries and deep red locales." The result has been that "total fidelity to Trump is not something Republicans can tout; it is a major liability."
The second point is that the split in the GOP stalled any progress on the Trump agenda. "Republican lawmakers’ dysfunction and abysmally low output are unmatched by any Congress in memory," she wrote.
Rubin pointed out that Democrats have had "success in framing [the GOP for] 'massive tax cuts for the rich paid for by taking away healthcare for ordinary Americans.' Republicans’ most toxic move may have been creating (and now adding to!) a DHS slush fund."
She pointed to the violent mass deportation plan from Trump that has resulted in huge negative backlash from Latino voters that the GOP was desperately trying to bring on board permanently.
Then there's the affordability crisis. For a year, Trump and his acolytes have desperately tried to claim that all is well and the problems were just a "Democrat hoax."
"In allowing Trump to have his way on horrible policies (e.g., tariffs, the war, immigration), ignoring voters’ economic concerns, and failing to seriously legislate or conduct oversight, Republicans have ceded the competence/ governance issue," wrote Rubin.
The third problem is that the GOP has failed to deliver on any of its promises to prove that Democrats were acting corruptly or were weaponizing government against conservatives. Despite Trump loyalists controlling the FBI and Justice Department, the administration can't prove that anything illegal was done. Meanwhile, failed efforts to use the government against Trump foes have resulted in angry judges and consequences for pro-Trump prosecutors at the DOJ.
"Their vindictive prosecutions have crumbled," Rubin summed up.
In the background, Trump has only highlighted his own behavior. "Republicans have enabled a culture of corruption," Rubin summed up.
"In sum, Republicans are rarely asked what they have done to deserve re-election. Their celebrated subservience to Trump, dismal legislative record, and acquiescence in the epidemic of corruption all now work against them, while efforts to distract voters with non-issues or made-up 'scandals' (e.g., DEI, trans athletes, voter fraud, Joe Biden!) have gone nowhere," she closed. So, as voters go to the polls asking what Republicans have done for them lately, the answer is "absolutely nothing good."