The other Republicans are waiting for Trump to die. [View all]
Conservative base voters mostly think Dфидld Тяцмр is the most perfect president possible, but the Republican Party establishment is embarrassed by him. He's useless at policy, chaotic at leadership, and destructive to their interests as often as he's helpful. They like the deregulation but hate the tariffs, they like the easy corruption but hate the constant exposed scandal, they like the belligerence but hate the economic losses, they like his team's racism but hate the constant display of moronic ignorance. They really wish they could get rid of Trump and all his messy nonsense.
Which they easily could, of course. A minority of them could remove him from office, with Democratic help. But they won't... as long as Trump is succeeding at gaining authoritarian power. Because they're afraid of that power? No, because for them, that power justifies everything he's doing wrong!
What the GOP really wants is for Trump to establish single party rule, and then retire or die, leaving them to inherit that authoritarian power. Authoritarian systems don't actually invest total power in an individual — that's petty warlord shit, it ain't a system. A proper system has something more permanent, like a College of Cardinals or the Holy Roman Empire's Prince-Electors. A traditional monarchy invests power in a family line, and a fascist or communist regime invests its power into a political party. When a strongman can no longer continue, the party goes on.
They know Trump is destroying everything he rubs up against, but as long as it looks like he might turn his allies into such a ruling party, they are unwilling to stop the destruction of liberty and democracy. Because they were already fascists before he showed them how to seize control.
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