Despite losing reelection, being the first president to be impeached twice, leading under the most disastrous pandemic of the last century, and bearing the brunt of the blame for the attack on the US capitol, President Donald Trump’s place within the Republican party is as strong as ever.
On May 12, GOP representatives ousted former House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney over her continued critique of President Trump, and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is primed to take her position in her place. Stefanik, like many rising Republicans as of late, is an avid supporter of Trump and his controversial policy.
Cheney’s removal by the Republican party is said to be an effort by the GOP to lessen the “distractions” presently hindering the party from gaining ground in the 2022 midterms. However, it also displays a disturbing intolerance towards differing opinions within the party; an intolerance made more worrying given the past extreme and dangerous trends that occurred under the previous administration, such as an increased distrust in facts and a greater polarization of the nation.
Most worrying though, is that this GOP intolerance appears to show members’ desire to rid itself of anyone who opposeses Trump and his nationalistic dream. In other words, Cheney’s removal signals a growing trend within the Republican party for old-fashioned Conservatism to be replaced by the sporadically dictatorial and extreme Trumpism that characterized the former President's time in office. If this transition were to occur and the Republican party were to be transformed into the Trump party, much of the turbulence America experienced (outside of the pandemic) during Trump's first term would almost certainly return, possibly even strengthening as the left would rise in extremism to match the Trumpist party.
Effectively, the ousting of Liz Cheney might set a precedent within the Republican party— a policy of intolerance. This intolerance would intensify the extremism within the Right, as there would be little to no resistance to some of its absurd policy and tactics. This rising extremism on the right would then lead to the further growth of the far-left, attempting to counteract the ferocity of its "rival". As a result of this bipartisan movement towards extremism, America would be left with a political landscape fractured and torn, with very little grey zone between the Left and Right.
Thankfully, hope remains. There are a few outliers among the Republican party that have frequently pushed against the statements and actions of the party. Mitt Romney was outspoken after hearing of the plan to oust Cheney, tweeting, "Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won't gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few." Additionally, while Trump did instate three Supreme Court Justices, a few GOP Justices are not aligned with the current Trumpist agenda, voting against the former President on multiple occasions. Even with this small defiance though, the present circumstances for non-Trumpist Republicans continues to be tedious. To avoid great political conflict, it is imperative that these select few remain, a task made increasingly difficult by the control Trumpism holds over the party, but one that is possible nonetheless.
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