Opinion

What happens to the Republican Party after Trump?


All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.

Following the Republican National Convention, two attempted assassinations and the selection of JD Vance as his VP, the Republican Party continues to rally around former President Donald Trump, even as he attempts to shift the party’s agenda to align with his own. For example, while the party has traditionally supported a national abortion ban, Trump recently stated in a debate that this decision should be left to individual states.

But what happens when Donald Trump is no longer a central figure within the Republican Party? In the video above, Straight Arrow News contributor Dr. Rashad Richey considers whether the conservative movement will fully embrace the MAGA agenda or pivot in a direction that could push them farther to the Left.


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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

And it should be no secret Donald Trump is not what he said he is. He’s not a Christian evangelical. He is not a conservative. Politically, he’s not a Democrat. He’s a moneycrat. [He] takes advantage, exploits, he’s looking for the opportunity in order to make himself more powerful. His real ideology, his real ideological leaning, is that of power, but so is Elon Musk and others who subscribe to this ridiculous movement known as MAGA, Make America Great Again. 

You know what MAGA really stands for? Make Attorneys Get Attorneys. Every point you look at Donald Trump, what he touches ends up corrupting, from his allies to his attorneys, from Mayor Rudy Giuliani to General Flynn and more — Steve Bannon.

You know, there was a time you marked a leader based on their ability to make other leaders. President Obama made other leaders. Biden has made other leaders. There are people that met Biden. He was a senator. Now they are, well, doing very well in their careers. Trump, on the other hand, has the opposite effect. So when is this great, genius businessman going to deliver? He didn’t even prepare for the debate. 

So what happens? Because at a point, Trump will not be the factor in the conservative movement. So what happens? Who becomes the heir apparent? Will you allow a personality to shrink your politics? And the only reason why Trump has to shrink everything around him to fit him is because he was never up for the job to expand his capacity.