How long will Donald Trump hold sway over the GOP? With performances like last night in Georgia, maybe not so long.
Politico’s Playbook notes: In four years, Trump has lost his presidency, and the House and the Senate for the GOP.
The power of Trump-ism is a double-edged sword.
So who is to blame for the loss(es) in Georgia? Many in the GOP will point to the man at the top of the party. Politico writes:
With control of the Senate at stake in the state’s two races, the president chose to spend weeks peddling baseless claims that Georgia’s electoral system was rigged, fueling an online movement to boycott Tuesday’s election. He demonized the state’s Republican leaders and fractured the local GOP. He ignored calls from his allies to rally in the state sooner. His support for Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue mainly came in the form of the occasional tweet and two rallies, including one on Monday. He blasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not heeding his calls for boosted stimulus checks.
“…Trump is the cause of this, lock, stock and barrel,” said one Republican strategist. “But when you’re relying on someone to win you a Senate race that also lost statewide eight weeks prior, you’re not in a position of strength.”
Which makes Eric Trump’s performance last night on Fox News seem all the more pathetic. Trump threatened GOP members of Congress to go along with his father’s attempt to overturn the election, or else.
This argument is a tough sell the night after the GOP completed its political implosion in Georgia. And it will raise hard questions for Republicans going forward: Is Donald Trump the answer, or the problem? Suddenly Donald Trump’s wings seem clipped. Can he rally his base? Sure. Is it enough to win elections? Maybe not.
