The Republican party has been facing problems for quite some time. Former President Donald Trump’s entry into the presidential race back in June 2015 could easily be taken as a landmark in the party’s journey of troubles. The Former President has been at the forefront of major shakeups within the party since then. His rather unpleasant reaction to criticism has caused friction with his fellow party members at various times. The comments by Carl V. Rove on Wall Street Journal illustrate just how much Trump has been causing ripples in the party. He said, “The Republican Party Is in Disarray: The Senate is lost, the GOP is bitterly split, and Trump’s actions have consequences.” The disarray said by Rove can be seen from their division on significant events from last year. Some of the top brass, like senator Mitch McConnell, has publicly criticized the Former President on issues such as the riot attacks in January. During a speech Saturday night at a Republican National Committee donor retreat, his provocative comments did not do much to steer unity within the party.
The Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach played host to the Republican National Committee donor retreat. The president delivered a keynote address that steered away from his initial speech. He would often produce mean comments targeting those he felt had wronged him. His comments showed his discontentment about some of the party members, including Senate Mitch McConnell and Former Vice President Mike Pence, not contesting the certification of the 2020 election in January. Trump had vile comments about those he perceived as responsible for his failure to clinch the White House for a second term. His attacks come after some criticized some of his actions during the last year of his presidency. His comments cannot be seen as helpful considering the party’s fragile unity with clear divisions being drawn as members are dividing based on whether one is supporting him or against him. The comments serve to sow animosity where none existed before. It is probably not the best way to lead the party into the 2022 elections.
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The no-show of some of the prominent party faces does little to inspire confidence in matters of unity. Senator Mitch McConnell and Former Vice President Mike Pence, who have previously been some of the Former President’s fiercest supporters, were visibly missing from the Saturday event. The Republican National Committee donor retreat is a massive event that one cannot expect to have some of the party’s top brass missing for whatever reason. Their absence indicates the development of issues within the party. Trump’s comments on the absentees do not seem to encourage the conflicting factions to come together. The event, which is a step towards 2022 election preparations, comes when the GOP seriously needs to unite if they are to reclaim control of the House and Senate.
To further show the growing division within the party, Trump’s Saturday comments were met with criticism. Fellow republicans such as Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Representative Liz Cheney criticized his offensive comments. Governor Hutchinson felt that Trump was focusing on the wrong fight. The public condemnation of his comments is something unexpected in a united party. Increased criticism from Republicans on Trump whenever he sparks controversy shows how much the party is dividing. After clinching the party ticket to contest for the 2016 presidential race, most republicans, even his fiercest critics, joined up to support him. Republicans would rarely openly disagree with him for the first half of his term. However, increased open criticism of Trump shows a growing dissatisfaction with the man. True to Rove’s word, “Trump’s actions have consequences.” His poor reaction to, at times, constructive criticism is costing the party its unity.
