The GOP's missed opportunity
Republicans could have barred Trump from running but decided to ignore him


Republicans blew their best chance to end Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the party. A week after the Jan. 6 insurrection, the House impeached Trump for inciting the attempted coup and sent the case to the Senate. In the fresh horror of the riot, many Republicans jumped off the Trump train. "Count me out. Enough is enough," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who'd up to then been a groveling Trump apologist. A disgusted Mitch McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, said, "There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day." But out of fear of the MAGA base, McConnell, Graham and most other Senate Republicans voted to acquit Trump. By letting him off the hook, the Senate also passed on the chance — expressly authorized by the Constitution — to bar Trump from ever again holding public office. McConnell suggested that the "criminal justice system" should hold Trump accountable. Privately, he told Republicans, "Let's just ignore him."
When you ignore a tumor or a raging infection, it doesn't go away. Despite three indictments and a fourth coming soon, Trump is again running for president and dominating the Republican field. Once a globally admired beacon of democracy, our nation is descending into the tawdry, chaotic politics of a banana republic. If Trump — facing dozens of felony counts — is nominated, the stakes of the general election will be enormous. He and his cult following will be keenly aware that defeat may mean Trump will die in prison; if he loses and claims fraud, political violence dwarfing Jan. 6 is a real possibility. If Trump wins, he will use the presidency to escape justice and fulfill his vow to inflict "retribution" on his many enemies, whom in the demagogic spirit of Joe McCarthy he's taken to calling communists. "Either the communists destroy America, or we destroy the communists," Trump said at a recent rally. "This is the final battle." Buckle up.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
Syria's Druze sect: caught in the middle of Israeli tensions
The Explainer Israel has used attacks on religious minority by forces loyal to Syria's new government to justify strikes across the border
-
Athens city and beach: The Dolli at Acropolis and Cape Sounio
The Week Recommends Luxury living in two Grecotels designed to showcase ancient Greek ruins and modern Greek style
-
Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia Hotel: a foodie haven in Portugal's Douro Valley
The Week Recommends Luxury city hotel with food from a Michelin-starred chef – and plenty of port
-
The fertility crisis: can Trump make America breed again?
Talking Point The self-styled 'fertilisation president', has been soliciting ideas on how to get Americans to have more babies
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
'Art is one of humanity's great empathic mediums'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Can Trump's team make the MAGA playbook work for Albania's elections?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The architects of the president's 2024 victory are looking east to extend their populist reach
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Carney and Trump come face-to-face as bilateral tensions mount
IN THE SPOTLIGHT For his first sit-down with an unpredictable frenemy, the Canadian prime minister elected on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment tried for an awkward detente
-
Another messaging app used by the White House is in hot water
The Explainer TeleMessage was seen being used by former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz