Many of these GOP officials have served in the highest echelons of government, and they hoped that with Trump’s defeat, this would lead party members to move on and denounce his baseless claims of voter fraud, according to Reuters.
A dozen of these officials spoke with Reuters, saying some have ended their membership in the party, many are just letting their membership lapse, while others registered as independents – They just don’t recognize the Republican party anymore.
“The Republican Party as I knew it no longer exists. I’d call it the cult of Trump,” said Jimmy Gurulé, who was Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the Bush administration.
Kristopher Purcell, who worked in the Bush White House’s communications office for six years, said about 60 to 70 former Bush officials have decided to leave the party or are cutting ties with it, from conversations he has been having. “The number is growing every day,” Purcell said.
These former officials, just like many of the lawmakers serving today in Congress, can see and sense the fracturing of the Republican party, and it has turned into an open conflict because of Trump’s legacy.
Yahoo News points out that the fracture between disaffected moderate Republicans and independents – who are disgusted with Trump’s hold over lawmakers – and Trump’s fervently loyal base – will tear the party in half because, without the support of both groups, the GOP will struggle to win national elections, according to polling, Republican officials and strategists.
In a recent interview on the Fox Business channel, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said: “We’re having a little bit of a spat right now. But we are going to come together. We have to,” predicting the party will unite against the agenda of President Joe Biden.
Save America PAC
Trump has amassed a formidable war chest to keep him in the public’s eye. Save America, a leadership PAC created in the aftermath of the 2020 election, has $31.2 million, and this nest-egg will play a key role in keeping Trump’s thumb on the pulse of the Republican party as he seeks retribution on people he believes have “wronged him,” writes Politico.
And while Trump can’t spend any of the PAC money on a future campaign of his own, he sure can dump thousands, if not millions into campaigns to discredit those GOP members he thinks have wronged him. He can also use the money to pay political advisers and travel the country.
Trump has already used PAC money, most recently against Representative Liz Cheney, the House Republican Conference Chair and the most prominent GOP impeachment supporter.
“Trump’s biggest weapon is his megaphone. But without his Twitter account, he especially needs the money to fund his desired political infrastructure,” said Matt Gorman, a veteran Republican operative.
“President Trump’s popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time,” read a statement from Save America, following Trump’s meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy last week.
