Trump can't run again in 2028. Republicans need to act like it. | Opinion
Republicans would be wise to focus their priorities elsewhere or they risk putting all of their eggs in the MAGA basket of retribution – making the same mistake they've made for the last eight years.
Donald Trump and his supporters seem to have one major goal heading into his second term: revenge.
Whether it be election officials who supposedly stole the 2020 election from Trump or those who held him accountable for his response to that election lie, Trump has promised to make his enemies pay, often criminally.
Republicans would be wise to focus their priorities elsewhere or they risk putting all of their eggs in the MAGA basket of retribution – making the same mistake they have made for the past eight years. Americans voted for Trump because they couldn't afford groceries, not because they want former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to be prosecuted.
Donald Trump's personal grudges aren't the GOP's problem
Trump has made countless enemies, and I’m inclined to agree that he has been treated unfairly by Democrats in cooperation with the news media.
However, Trump has discussed for years his desire to go after those who have wronged him criminally, often without specifying any actual crime his enemies have committed. Between members of the House committee that investigated the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and election officials involved in the 2020 election, Trump has threatened to go after people who have no identifiable crime they have committed.
These types of threats are exactly why people are concerned that Trump will abuse the Department of Justice in order to settle personal vendettas, often without merit.
Rhetoric claiming retribution is one thing, but Trump is doing nothing to quell those fears. Instead, he has appointed aggressive loyalists to key positions within the DOJ. Namely, Trump's FBI director pick Kash Patel has promised to “come after" people he said helped the news media "rig" the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden.
If Republicans truly think that Democrats have unfairly targeted Trump through the law, continuing that cycle will only lead to more erosion of norms. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person in politics to prevent things from spiraling toward disaster.
Instead, the GOP should focus on how to build guardrails against malicious prosecution, rather than engaging in it themselves.
Team MAGA’s interest in revenge is part of their commitment to loyalty to Trump, nothing more. Republicans would be wise to reject nominees whose only value is loyalty to Trump rather than to conservatism.
The GOP has no business enabling Trump in personal vengeance, especially not at the cost of the American people.
Republicans interested in long-term success must challenge Trump
For its credibility to survive this administration, the GOP must resist Trump’s quest for vengeance as much as possible. Should the Republican Party make the next four years a quest for revenge against Trump’s enemies, they will have a hard time pitching voters on the idea that they can responsibly govern.
Delivering on campaign promises ‒ such as improving the economy, halting the illegal immigration crisis and restoring American foreign policy ‒ are all vital to Republican success in the elections of 2026 and 2028. More important than that is proving Republicans can be the adults in the room, limiting the infighting and indulging of Trump’s sideshow.
Republicans lost in 2020 in part because Americans no longer trusted them to competently run the country. Biden didn’t win that election on his own merits ‒ Republicans handed it to him.
The GOP cannot make the same mistake again. Indulging Trump’s own personal vendettas is a sideshow. Elections aren’t won through congressional investigations and prosecuting political opponents; they’re won through competent governance. Republicans fully coalescing behind Trump will allow Democrats their easiest path to electoral victory.
Republicans should focus on how they can improve the state of the nation rather than using the next four years on Trump's sideshow. Trump can't run again in 2028 because of term limits, and Republicans should act like it. A party devoted to the cause of one man has no chance at longevity.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for Paste BN and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.