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Trump and McConnell had a fight. Image: EPA / EPA
Political Fight Against Mud: How Trump Fights His Republican Opponents
Donald Trump is known for his fits of anger and profanity. As President of the United States, he loved to let his feelings flow freely on Twitter. In the more than 34,000 tweets he posted during his presidency, he repeatedly turned to political opponents and independent media. He even fired some employees through a tweet.
The short message service has now locked the former president’s account. Trump continues to fire his tirades. It was recently released in a 600 word statement. His statement is not just a reckoning with Mitch McConnell, one of the most important politicians in the Republican Party. It is like a declaration of internal war.
Trump’s attack is the latest stage in the escalation so far in a conflict that has been simmering with Republicans for some time. Supporters of the former president and critics of Trump are increasingly fighting within the party. The outcome of the dispute could determine the future of the Republican Party.
What exactly happened between Trump and McConnell?
Donald Trump took to the barricades against Senator Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell is the leader of the United States Republican parliamentary group in the House of Congress. Therefore, he has one of the most influential positions for the party. Trump now considers McConnell unsuitable.
The Republican Party could never be strong or respected again with leaders like McConnell, Trump said. And further: “If the Republican senators support him, they will never win again.” Trump also approached McConnell on a personal level: The 78-year-old was “one of the most unpopular politicians in America,” a disgruntled and grim “politician” who doesn’t smile. He lacks “political understanding, wisdom, talent and personality.”
McConnell did not respond publicly to Trump’s attacks. According to the CNN news channel, he just laughed and decided to ignore Trump as best he could. It is questionable whether the Republican will do so easily. Because at the moment it does not appear that Trump has given up hope of having political influence with his presidential office.
Mitch McConnell was described by Trump as a “disgruntled and disgruntled politician.” Image: keystone
Why is Trump attacking McConnell with such violence?
In fact, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell were allies for a long time. McConnell is considered a seasoned politician (he has been a member of the Senate since 1985) and a smart strategist. Thus, he was repeatedly described as the man pulling the strings in the background of the Trump presidency.
While Trump loudly and impulsively proclaimed his ideas to the world, McConnell tried to push Republican goals; for example, it managed to install almost 200 conservative judges.. Successes that also put Trump in a good light. A former Trump administration employee once summed up the relationship between the two politicians in relation to “The New Yorker” magazine: “Trump wanted to drain the political swamp. And now he’s working with the biggest swamp creature of all. “
However, since the storm on Capitol Hill, the relationship between the two has changed dramatically. In January, Trump supporters forcibly gained access to the parliament building and rioted there. Five people died that day.
McConnell accused Trump
In response, the US Democrats launched a second impeachment process against Trump, who is believed to be largely responsible for the assault on the Capitol. In the process, McConnell first voted in the Senate to acquit Trump. Because, according to their reasoning, it is not the job of the Senate to judge a president who has already left office.
In the immediate aftermath, however, McConnell Trump was a public accomplice in the assault on the Capitol, in which supporters of the former president forcibly entered government headquarters. «The mob was fed lies, “McConnell said in a speech to the Senate. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people” and had tried “to use fear and violence” to stop a confirmation of Joe Biden’s electoral victory. He also added that Trump could continue to be prosecuted for his actions through legal channels.
Trump likely viewed this public accusation as an affront. And he reacts to it in his typical way: with anger and abuse.
Trump insults people all the time, why is that so important?
Trump’s most recent outbreak is relevant as it shows two things: First, he doesn’t seem to have plans to disappear from the political scene as quickly as some would like. Second, his attack symbolizes how torn the Republican Party is right now and how hard Trump supporters and critics within the party are fighting each other.
Trump still enjoys great approval within the party, but also among voters. According to a poll by the American portal “Politico”, 59 percent of the Republican electorate wants Trump to play an important role in their party in the future.
Trump has many followers
Republicans are also aware of Trump’s popularity, explains to Watson Josef Braml, director of the America program of the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP). He means:
“Republicans have seen that, despite their administration – in their unconventional and problematic eyes – Trump did not suffer a dramatic defeat in the 2020 election, as many expected, but received 10 million more votes than in his first election in 2016 “.
That puts MPs who oppose Trump in a difficult position. In two years there will be elections to Congress in which the House of Representatives and part of the Senate will be re-elected. «Above all, senators who must run for re-election in 2022 do not want to be considered regicides in the eyes of Trump supporters and be punished for it, ”says Braml.
American expert Josef Braml continues to view Trump as a major player among Republicans. image: dgap
Republicans who openly oppose Trump are already being sanctioned. One of them is Liz Cheney. Cheney is a Republican MP in the House of Representatives and part of the leadership of the parliamentary group there. She was one of ten Republican MPs who voted in the House of Representatives in favor of impeachment against Trump. For this, Cheney was massively attacked within the party and even received an official reprimand from Republicans in his home state of Wyoming. Since his vote, Cheney, who was always seen as well-connected in the party, has been increasingly marginalized.
But other MPs are also feeling the wrath of the party’s Trump supporters: In many constituencies of Republicans who voted in favor of an impeachment procedure, opponents of their own party are now running for congressional elections in 2022, to contest the political office of Trump critics.
What does this mean for the future of Republicans?
Trump no longer likes being president of the United States. But he and his followers still manage to have a decisive influence on the events of the Republican Party. American expert Josef Braml also emphasizes the central role Trump still plays there:
“I don’t see any candidate in the Republican ranks who, without Trump’s blessing, could be successful in holding together the diverse currents of the Republican electorate, including Trump nationalists, Christian rights, and business liberals.”
Democrats could use Republican divisions to their advantageBraml continues. At least if they manage to “make political capital from their electoral success by solving or at least alleviating many of the country’s urgent problems.”
Trump’s opponents await an investigation
It remains to be seen which Republican field will win the bitter dispute in the long run. Trump has shown time and again how aggressive he is against his unwanted colleagues. At the same time, his internal party critics could perhaps get long-term outside help: The state attorney’s office in the U.S. state of Georgia has opened an investigation against Trump for his attempts to reverse his electoral defeat there. And the attorney general of the federal capital Washington DC is currently examining a possible investigation against Trump for the incidents on Capitol Hill.
The recently assumed president of the United States, Joe Biden, recently criticized the media hype surrounding Donald Trump in recent years. “I’m tired of talking about Trump.” He wants to divert attention from the former president. A luxury that many in the Republican Party probably won’t be able to afford at first.
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