It's not too late for the GOP to abandon Donald Trump
Better late than never


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
All of a sudden, a bunch of prominent Republicans are withdrawing — or considering withdrawing — their support from Donald Trump. Now, less than one month before the general election, they understand that he is what he is and that he's not going to change. He is unstable and gross and crazy, and they finally get it.
The reaction to this development has to be a mix of relief and incredulity. Relief, of course, because it's nice to see the Republican Party I support finally trying to get some grip on this cancer it has infected itself with. But also incredulity, because why should Trump's most recent scandal, which revolves around a 2005 video in which Trump brags about using his fame to sexually assault women, be the last straw, and not the billion scandals that preceded it?
How about the time Trump insulted a Gold Star mother and insinuated she didn't speak from the Democratic convention stage because she wasn't allowed as a Muslim woman? How about the time(s) when he implicated Ted Cruz's father in the Kennedy assassination? How about the time he launched his campaign by calling Mexicans rapists? ("A lot of them, I assume, are good people." Oh, alright then.) And how about the birther nonsense?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It was always obvious that Trump was both vile and lacking in self-restraint or self-control. Why turn on him now that he is the nominee? Why turn on him now that his name is on every ballot? Why now, when "un-endorsing" him would require legal gymnastics such as a write-in campaign or asking electors to vote for a different candidate? Why turn on him now after you shut down convention delegates who simply wanted an open vote?
Why now?
That's a great question, and one that deserves to be asked. But it shouldn't prevent Republican officeholders from officially dropping Trump. They can't just distance themselves and let him crash and burn. They can't just cross fingers and hope for the best. They need to come out loud and strong against Trump, no matter how much it hurts their egos.
Why? Because better late than never.
Yes, some Republicans fear that Trump supporters will blame Trump's defeat on a lack of support from the Republican establishment. But they shouldn't worry about that, as I've written before. That will happen no matter what, but because Trump's flaws as a candidate are so glaringly obvious, that blame won't be easy to lay at anyone's feet but his own.
On top of that, the longer the Republican Party is officially associated with Trump, the more its brand is tarnished, and the harder it will be for the party to cobble together a winning national coalition. It needs minorities. It needs college-educated whites. It needs women.
Republicans cannot continue to roll their eyes and keep their distance from Trump while still seeming to suggest Americans should back the GOP candidate. The middle ground is no longer safe. They should never have endorsed him in the first place, and maybe even backed a third-party bid instead. Now, they should do the next best thing and simply speak their mind.
It's time to bring some actual conservative values back to the Republican Party. Values like honor, for example. Donald Trump has brought shame to the GOP. And so the best thing the GOP can do to regain its honor is to cast Trump off in the most visible way possible.
It will take a lot of work to rebuild the Republican Party after this. But one of the hardest tasks will be disassociating the GOP from Trump's noxious brand of politics. The sooner the party starts on that mission, the better. In fact, doing it before the election, before he has officially lost, would show goodwill.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
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.
-
Lost and found
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 24, 2023
Daily Briefing Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population to leave region amid fears of persecution, Atlantic coast remains under flood warnings from Ophelia, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
6 new horror novels to read this fall
The Explainer These upcoming releases will have you on the edge of your seat — or hiding under the covers
By David Faris Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published