The bottom drops out for Donald Trump
Cassidy Hutchinson’s honest, compelling testimony at Tuesday’s January 6th Committee hearing is taking its toll on Donald Trump. An increasing number of Republicans, including many who have supported Trump ideologically and financially, are beginning to rethink their allegiance to the twice-impeached monster.
Rep. Liz Cheney, who has done masterful work as Vice Chair of the committee, issued a blunt warning Thursday to her fellow Republicans. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Cheney insisted that “Republicans cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution.” Calling Trump a “domestic threat we have never faced before,” Cheney blasted Republican leaders who “have made themselves willing hostages to this dangerous and irrational man.” Her speech met with great approval and ended with a standing ovation.
On Wednesday, the Washington Examiner’s very conservative editorial board published a scathing anti-Trump editorial. The piece began by stating that Hutchinson’s testimony “ought to ring the death knell” for Trump’s political career, declaring him “unfit to be anywhere near power ever again.” Noting that Hutchinson was a “conservative Trumpist true believer,” the board praised her credibility before issuing this stark warning to its GOP readership: “Republicans have far better options to lead the party in 2024. No one should thin otherwise, much less support him, ever again.”
Trump’s political prospects are also fading. Whether or not you think Trump is serious about running again in 2024, GOP megadonors are losing interest in him, thanks in large part to Hutchinson’s testimony. According to a report Thursday from CNBC, donors and their advisors have discussed potential candidates to support, with names such as Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, and Tom Cotton often coming up. As for Donald Trump, “The silence is deafening,” as one source put it.
As we head toward Independence Day and celebrate our democracy, we can be thankful that the bipartisan January 6th Committee is moving forward methodologically and convincingly to expose Trump’s crimes. Bringing a powerful, amoral ogre like Trump to justice is no easy feat, but it’s attainable. Trump is clearly losing his grip.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month