op-ed

As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to admit something I once thought unimaginable: the Republican Party as I knew it is dead. The values I held dear—the core principles of limited government, individual freedom, fiscal responsibility, and a robust national defense—have all been sacrificed, dismantled, and disfigured at the altar of a single man. The Republican Party no longer represents conservatism; it now represents Donald Trump.

For years, I believed in the GOP’s mission. I believed that ours was the party of thoughtful conservatism—grounded in the Constitution, committed to the rule of law, and defined by a deep respect for democratic institutions. But today, the GOP has devolved into something unrecognizable: a personality cult. Loyalty to Donald Trump now outweighs loyalty to the Constitution, the republic, or the enduring principles that once made the Republican Party a force to be reckoned with. After nominating Trump three times as our presidential candidate, the GOP has fully transformed. Every opportunity the party had to course-correct—after his defeat in 2020, after the January 6 insurrection, and now again with his looming 2024 nomination—was squandered. Instead of severing ties with a leader whose values are antithetical to our principles, the GOP has doubled down. It has surrendered completely, with too many leaders bending the knee to Trump’s whims.

The Republican Party platform—the philosophical bedrock upon which the GOP was built—no longer exists in any meaningful way. Our commitment to limited government, free-market solutions, and personal accountability has been abandoned. Instead, we now placate Donald Trump, whose policy whims change with the seasons. From imposing damaging tariffs that hurt American businesses to reckless spending that ballooned the national debt under his administration, Trump has reshaped the GOP into a hollow shell. It is a party driven not by ideology, but by the impulses of a man whose interests are entirely self-serving.

Once the party of law and order, the GOP under Trump has become an enabler of legal and moral disregard. We used to champion the rule of law, insisting that no man was above it. Now, we see a leader who disrespects legal institutions, turning his personal legal battles into political theater. Trump has demanded that the party treat his grievances as matters of national importance, distracting from real issues while stoking resentment and division. Worse still, his authoritarian tendencies, disdain for democratic norms, and blatant narcissism have turned the GOP into an organization that once prided itself on governance but now mirrors the ambitions of a strongman.

Where is the backbone of the Republican Party? Where are the leaders who will stand up and say, “enough is enough”? Very few have. Time and again, those who once decried Trump’s reckless behavior have now chosen to grovel for his approval. Elected officials who once condemned his actions have pivoted to support him out of fear—fear of losing their seats, fear of his wrath, and most of all, fear of losing his base. Principles have been thrown aside in exchange for political survival. They have chosen to “kiss the ring” rather than fight for the soul of conservatism.

By surrendering to Trump’s cult of personality, the GOP has not only abandoned its principles but also its responsibility to the American people. Where we once stood for economic conservatism, free markets, and individual liberty, we now stand for whatever rhetoric Donald Trump chooses to spout at his latest rally. The contradictions between Trump’s policies and conservative ideals are glaring. He championed tariffs that flew in the face of free trade, pushed spending policies that made a mockery of fiscal conservatism, and ignored constitutional boundaries whenever it suited him. Yet, the party has fallen silent, unwilling or unable to confront the emperor with no clothes.

As a conservative who still believes in these traditional values, I find myself mourning the party I once called home. We are adrift, not anchored by ideas or a coherent vision, but by one man’s ego and self-preservation. This is not what the GOP was meant to be, and it is certainly not what the country needs. We cannot claim to be the party of principles if our actions contradict the very foundations upon which those principles are built.

The truth is, if the Republican Party is to survive, it must sever its ties with Donald Trump. Continuing down this path will lead to irrelevance, as the broader electorate will tire of a party that stands for nothing other than the ambitions of one man. The GOP needs to offer more than a cult of personality; it needs to offer real solutions to the challenges facing our nation. If we wish to remain a credible force in American politics, we must return to being the party of ideas, the party of solutions, the party of the Constitution.

This is not just a question of political strategy; it is a matter of principle. Even if Donald Trump is elected in November, it will not be a victory for the Republican Party. Instead, it will serve as a stark symbol of how far our party has strayed from its core values, marking an indelible stain on our history, legacy, and the very moral, ethical, and traditional values that once defined us. The GOP cannot be rebuilt while Trump remains its figurehead. To restore our identity, we must return to the principles that made us great—limited government, individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, and an unwavering respect for the rule of law. Now is the time for true conservatives to step forward and lead. It is time for those who still care about the soul of our party to speak out and reclaim what has been lost. 

As much as it pains me to say, until we sever our ties with Donald Trump, I can no longer, in good conscience, support the Republican Party. But I still hold out hope for its revival. The party as we once knew it may be dead, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Let us choose principle over personality. Let us choose the Constitution over one man’s self-interest. Only then can we rebuild our party, restore its integrity, and once again be a force for good in American politics.