Analysis: Donald Trump is going to war with Republicans. Again.
Wednesday brought two such moves from Trump.
Trump also weighed in on Rep. Nancy Mace’s bid for reelection South Carolina’s 1st district, backing GOP challenger Katie Arrington.
Mace and Newhouse join an ignominious list of Republican lawmakers that Trump has aggressively targeted for defeat following their perceived lack of loyalty. Of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, three (Reps. John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio) have already retired in the face of problematic primary fights.
Here’s a look at the rest of the members of the group who are facing Republican challengers:
* Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney: Trump has endorsed Harriet Hageman.
* Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer: Trump has endorsed John Gibbs.
* Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler: Trump has endorsed Joe Kent.
* South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice: Trump has endorsed Russell Fry.
* Michigan Rep. Fred Upton: Trump has endorsed Steve Carra.
That means the only one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and is not either facing a challenge from a candidate backed by the former President or planning to retire is California Rep. David Valadao. (Valadao is a close ally of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who endorsed his fellow Californian for reelection last fall.)
And it’s not just in the endorsement game where Trump is eating his own. On Wednesday night, Trump released a lengthy statement attacking Mitch McConnell, saying the Senate minority leader “does not speak for the Republican Party, and does not represent the views of the vast majority of its voters. He did nothing to fight for his constituents and stop the most fraudulent election in American history.”
History suggests that the upcoming midterm election should be a very good one for Republicans. The president’s party traditionally suffers major losses at the House level, and the evenly divided Senate could easily tip toward the GOP.
And yet, even as the likes of McConnell try to keep the focus on Biden and unified Democratic control of Congress, Trump absolutely refuses to move on. He is deeply obsessed with exacting revenge against those who wronged him — whether or not it’s a good thing for his party.