Donald Trump can preach unity now because he won the contest over the party’s future.
Former President Donald Trump staged a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. His latest coronation in Milwaukee shows he wants to cement this populist rebrand.
The most obvious signal is Trump’s selection of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential nominee. Instead of putting forth a historically diverse ticket or nodding to the GOP’s monied class, Trump elevated one of his staunchest allies who, like the former president, speaks with little subtlety.
No fan of Trump’s hold on the party, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney said the GOP of her father’s day is gone.
«The Trump GOP is no longer the party of Lincoln, Reagan or the Constitution», Cheney wrote on X, bashing Trump’s selection of Vance.
Trump welcomes the ire. He enjoyed ending the Bush political dynasty by humiliating former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 primary. As president, Trump singled out those who questioned him, pushing then-Speaker Paul Ryan and then-Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona out of power. The former president has continued his crusade against the 10 House Republicans who impeached him for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump can preach unity now because he won the contest over the party’s future.
