Trump becomes harder for Senate GOP to ignore

Republican Senate leaders have attempted to put elders President TrumpDonald TrumpOvernight Defense: the highest American commander in Afghanistan leaves | United States sends delegation to Haiti following request for troops | Senate Democrats propose 0.3 B for Pentagon in Capitol Hill security bill Fauci and Birx warned Scott Atlas was “dangerous” Report: RNC chief counsel called 2020 legal efforts Trump’s “joke” MORE in the rearview mirror, rarely mentioning his name and instead focusing on the Democratic agenda, but Trump’s iron grip on the party base makes it increasingly difficult to continue to ignore him.

Mainstream Republicans are increasingly caught up in the party’s internal battle over Trump’s legacy, with even staunch conservatives like Sens. James lankfordJames Paul LankfordJuan Williams: Republicans Prefer Trump’s Fantasies To Truth And Facts Trump Allied GOP Presidents Turn On Their Republican Fellow The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden Renews Calls As U.S. COVID-19 Vax Rate slows down MORE (R-Okla.), Jim InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain Inhofe Army gears up for sweeping change on justice reform Biden airstrikes fuel debate over powers of war NIGHT ENERGY: Biden announces bipartisan infrastructure deal | DOJ Supports Trump Approval of Line 3 Permit | Biden hits China on solar panels PLUS (R-Okla.), John boozmanJohn Nichols Boozman Former NFL player challenges Boozman in Arkansas GOP primary Senate GOP opens door to postings Arkansas Governor quietly opposes GOP plunge into culture wars MORE (R-Ark.) And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) call themselves insufficiently loyal to Trump or “Republicans in name only.”

Trump again showed his lockdown on the party’s militant base over the weekend by winning the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll with 70% of the vote, crushing second-place winner Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisPompeo on 2024: ‘I want to keep making an impact’ Five takeaways from CPAC conference in Dallas Noem hits out at fellow GOP governors on COVID-19 PLUS mandates, which came far behind at 21%.

Trump touted his strong performance by issuing a statement via Save America PAC: “98% approval rating for CPAC, by far the highest on record. A new record!

This makes it more difficult for the main Republicans in the Senate, including the minority leader. Mitch mcconnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell This Week: Congress Starts Summer Sprint Brewing Battle Over Tax Hikes To Test Democratic Unity Juan Williams: Republicans Prefer Trump Fantasies Over Truth And Facts MORE (R-Ky.), To continue ignoring Trump.

McConnell during his tour of Kentucky over the July 4 vacation stayed true to his months-long practice of not saying Trump’s name, instead referring to events of the past four years as having happened. under “previous administration”.

Pressed by reporters on his views on Trump, McConnell avoided the topic, saying he was primarily focused on stopping Biden’s agenda.

But Trump continues to appear in the national political conversation, even though he has been permanently banned by Twitter and suspended by Facebook, and major TV channels have failed to broadcast his rallies.

Trump warned on Monday that Republican candidates who do not publicly embrace him are preparing for failure in the next election.

“Four years ago, a man named Ed Gillespie ran for governor of Virginia without ’embracing’ MAGA, or the America First movement. He tried to get around the problem by asking for my approval, while walking on both sides of the fence. The Trump base is very big in Virginia, they understood his game, and they didn’t come for Gillespie, and I didn’t do anything to help or hurt. He got creamed! Trump said in a statement via his PAC.

Republican leaders continued to urge their party members to focus on politics rather than Trump’s favorite subject, questioning the 2020 election results.

“I think looking back is a mistake. If Republicans question the last election, it means they are not focusing on the next one, ”said the Republican Senate whip. John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneTrump is on the ballot whether his name is on it or not. The Hill’s Morning Report – Brought to you by Facebook – GOP torpedo election bill; Infrastructure talks stall White House sinks as infrastructure talks halt MORE (SD) told reporters on Monday when asked about the heat faced by GOP colleagues in the Senate for failing to support efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Thune suggested that while rehashing the November election results could push some primary voters up, it is unlikely to be a winning message in a general election.

“And we have a job to do and if we want to put in place a check and a check against the Biden agenda, we have to try to find a way to get the House and the Senate back in 2022 and that’s going to involve talking to, talking to those voters in the middle, ”he said. “You have a third of the voters who think the last election should be revived, you have a third on [the Democratic] side who want to make us a Europe, but there is a big third in the middle who will decide this election.

“Most voters across the country will want to know what you are doing to solve economic problems, what you are going to do to ensure safety on our streets and stronger borders,” he added. “I hope that states parties across the country, at least on our side, stay focused on these.”

Another key development came this weekend when the Republican State of Alaska Central Committee approved Sen. Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiMurkowski: Trump has “threatened to do a lot” to those who stand up to him. Alaska GOP backs Murkowski’s main challenger Trump Jr. calls on Manchin, Tester to oppose Biden’s ATF candidate(R-Alaska) main Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka, whom Trump endorsed in June.

Murkowski did not vote for Trump in November and was one of seven Senate Republicans to vote in February to condemn him on an article of impeachment for his role in inciting a crowd that stormed the Capitol on January 6.

On Saturday, Trump attempted to remove the senator. Richard shelbyRichard Craig Shelby This Week: Congress Begins Summer Sprint Senate GOP Proposes Emergency Capitol Police Funding As Part Of Spending Tackle Alabama Consultant Becomes Fourth Republican To Launch in the open race for the Senate PLUS (R-Ala.) For supporting his former chief of staff Katie Britt in that state’s Senate Republican primary.

“I see Sen. RINO of Alabama, Old Crow’s close friend Mitch McConnell Richard Shelby, is doing all he can to get his ‘assistant’ to fight the big Mo BrooksMorris (Mo) consultant Jackson BrooksAlabama becomes fourth Republican to enter open Senate race Katie Britt of Alabama breaks fundraising record in Senate bid. for his seat in the Senate. She is by no means qualified and is certainly not what our country needs or what Alabama wants, ”Trump said in a statement, reiterating his support for Rep. Mo Brooks in the primary.

Brooks helped lead the charge of House Republicans who opposed the Electoral College results earlier this year.

Shelby Monday bristled at the idea that he is a “Republican in name only.”

“I’m a Republican and I don’t think anyone is questioning that,” he said, adding that Britt was the “best qualified” candidate in the race.

On Monday, former professional footballer Jake Bequette announced he would challenge Boozman in the 2022 Republican Senate primary, proclaiming himself “a true conservative who will advance Trump’s conservative agenda.”

While Boozman already has Trump’s approval, Bequette has sought to portray himself as an outsider aligned with Trump and Boozman as an ally of the GOP establishment in Washington.

“He’s been in Washington for over 20 years. He is entering his third decade in Washington, in the swamps, ”Bequette told The Associated Press.

In Oklahoma, Lankford, who is also running for reelection, is under pressure from pro-Trump forces. State Republican Party Chairman John Bennett backed Lankford’s main challenger Jackson Lahmeyer, a 29-year-old pastor from Tulsa.

Lahmeyer has said he would like to see Trump reinstated as president and believes he would if battlefield states followed Arizona and audited their election results.

The Oklahoma State Republican Party will vote later this month on a resolution condemning Lankford and Inhofe for not opposing the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan.6, when a crowd protested Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the count.

Trump’s power within the party is also clear in the Republican Ohio Senate primary, where candidate JD Vance, who previously called Trump “reprehensible,” is now posing as a pro-Trump Republican.

Vance apologized last week for saying “critical things”, telling Fox News: “I regret them and I wish I was wrong about the guy.”

He candidly admitted in an interview with Tim that “I’m a flip-flop on Trump” and that he needed to “just suck it up and back it up”.

Some Republican strategists believe McConnell and other Senate GOP leaders should follow Vance and do more to show their loyalty to Trump.

Brian Darling, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide, said many Republicans who opposed Trump in the 2016 election have since reconciled with the former president.

“It’s possible to do it. They just need to talk to him and listen to him and maybe go to Mar-a-Lago and kiss the ring, ”he said, referring to Trump’s resort in Palm. Beach.

Many Republicans, including the House Minority Leader Kevin mccarthyKevin McCarthyCNN: Tucker Carlson “furious” at Fox News executives for failing to defend his allegations of NSA spying CONTINUED (R-Calif.) And Republican National Senate Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.) Traveled to Palm Beach to show allegiance and deference to Trump.

But McConnell, Thune and other senior members of the Senate GOP leadership chose not to.