“There is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party.”
(Former Republican Speaker of the House of Representative, John Boehner)
Many Republicans have accepted that Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Still, the Republicans fear of Trump is omnipresent, and owing to this fear, many of them are still afraid to admit it publicly.
Even before the mail-in ballots were dispatched, President Trump started making the election process controversial. Donald Trump was preparing the ground for what he is doing now. He knew he was going to lose because of his flawed policies.
His influence in the party is so high that people think of him as God. They literally worship him because they believe that they can’t win the party’s nomination on the Congressional seats otherwise.
This Republicans fear of Trump is so pervasive that no one wants to trigger the wrath of this absolute powerful man.
As Trump is a business tycoon, he has too much influence over the Republican party due to his monetary status. Despite losing, Donald Trump is reluctant to accept the American verdict.
Before the election, President Trump had repeatedly been attacking mail-in ballots. Now, he is spreading fake news of voter fraud, despite officials claiming that the elections were the most secure in history.
This behavior from Donald Trump has instilled fear in ordinary American voters. Republicans fear of Trump is also evident in those who nominated him as the Republican presidential candidate.
What is the real Republicans fear of Trump? Why can’t they speak the truth in front of Trump? Why do Republicans think of Trump as God? Let’s explore.
How Republicans Fear of Trump is so Pervasive?
On the election night, President Trump prematurely declared victory. He further announced he would go to the Supreme Court to stop further vote count.
He made it clear that night that he will not concede easily. So, the political turmoil was imminent after his speech, which everyone witnessed.
President Trump tried his best to make the election results controversial, but all in vain.
The Trump administration filed lawsuits in swing states claiming voter fraud. However, all the lawsuits were dismissed one by one.
The US Judiciary made it clear that they will not entertain any illegal lawsuit filed by Trump.
The crisis was so severe that everyone was expecting a civil war in the US. However, rational approaches from the judiciary and the other circles averted the imminent war.
The United States is witnessing tens of thousands of new COVID-19 cases every day. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is doing nothing to control it. After all this, the Republican Party still stands behind him because they are afraid of Trump.
Recently, former Republican Governor of Ohio John Kasich told National Public Radio (NPR) some reasons behind the fear of Trump by the Republicans.
The former governor told the host that Joe Biden had won the election. He termed Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results as “absurd” and “ridiculous.”
Governor Kasich is one of the high-profile Republicans who have publicly endorsed Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. The former governor suggested two reasons behind Republican’s fear of Donald Trump.
“To me, it’s just silly politics. And in many respects, it represents a cult of personality that the president has been able to inflict on the Republican Party itself. They’re either in complete lockstep with him, or they’re afraid of him. And it’s extremely disappointing for someone who has been a Republican all of my life.” (Former Republican Governor Ohio, John Kasich)
The former Ohio governor also said that the contemporary crisis demands close cooperation between the Trump Administration and the incoming Biden Administration on a variety of issues.
Senator Chris Coons admitted that many Republican Senators are calling him privately to congratulate President-elect Biden, as they are afraid to do this publicly.
This claim from the Democratic Senator shows that Republicans are worshipping Trump. They are considering Trump as God. They may know the reality that Biden has won the elections, yet they cannot admit it publicly.
The absence of sane minds in the Republican party is alarming. The influence of Donald Trump on the party is weakening the United States. Many people are not speaking against Trump because they believe that if they do so, they can’t get votes in their next elections. Even Trump is eying the 2024 Presidential race once again, so having him in the party will make the Republicans’ fear even worse.
Trump goes wild: Trump’s “ultimate authority” in action
The examples are also evident in this regard. Trump has made it clear that anyone who speaks against him shall face his wrath. Sidney Powell, one of the Trump lawyers, was fired recently by Trump, as she had different views than those of Trump.
Similarly, Chris Krebs, the former CISA director, was fired by Trump as he said that the 2020 elections were the most secure ones in history. His job was to maintain the integrity of the 2020 elections, and he did it very well. However, Trump wanted someone to put his wrath on, and he found him in the form of Chris Krebs.
The above two examples are prominent examples of Trump acting as the “absolute authority” in every case.
What is the future of the Republican Party?
The following three things have become clear in the recent few weeks.
- Despite losing the presidency, Trump will still maintain his dominance over the Republican party.
- Only a few Republican elected officials hold the courage to stand up for the truth.
- Republicans, mostly, prefer personal interest over the interests of the country.
There are still those who have openly criticized Donald Trump, but unfortunately, they are not many.
During the 2018 midterm elections, several mainstream Republicans retired. This gave a favorable playing field to the hardcore Trumpists who then controlled the Congress.
“It’s just absurd. The whole thing is – it’s just – it’s ridiculous. I mean, he (Biden) has clearly won this election. And it is just sort of amazing to me that Republicans just keep sitting on their hands. It makes no sense.” (Former Republican Governor Ohio, John Kasich)
Experts believe that Donald Trump will never let the Republican Party get out of his hands. Many party members know that they can’t win the Republican presidential ticket, as they see President Trump as the Republican candidate for the 2024 election.
Moreover, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are expanding their influence in the Republican National Committee. This implies that even after Donald Trump, the Republican Party will stay in the hands of Trump.
Conclusion
Republicans are backing Donald Trump with his baseless claims of voter fraud. Meanwhile, some openly admitted the presidency of Joe Biden and condemned the irrational behavior of the president.
Mitt Romney is one of those Republicans who have kept their honor and stood with the country instead of standing behind the lies of Trump.
This fear is evident, given the fact that most of the words against Trump came through the mouths of the former Republican leaders. No current Republican dares to speak even a single word against Trump. Similarly, despite so much chaos in the USA in the last days of Trump, no Republican dare to speak against him.
The political class is terming this attitude from Republicans as fear of Trump. Former President Barack Obama has also said the same thing on the matter. It seems that Republicans fear of Trump is a greater thing for Republicans than the political crisis faced by the US due to this.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.