If the GOP establishment rises up against Trump, he will destroy them

Many Republican officials clearly want to dump Trump in 2020. But they're going about it all wrong.

President Trump greets supporters.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

It's becoming a pattern. Jeff Flake, Arizona's junior Republican senator and occasional Trump critic, announced last week that he's giving up his seat, and in the process unleashed tirades against President Trump, basking in media plaudits afterward. This is exactly what happened with Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker earlier this month. John McCain and George W. Bush have also stood on soapboxes to not-so-subtly subtweet America's 45th president.

We seem to be approaching a critical mass not just of establishment GOP dissatisfaction with the president, but the loud public voicing of this dissatisfaction. I feel all but certain that we're seeing the early signs of this eventuality: There will be a Republican establishment primary challenge against President Trump in 2020.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.