Leading conservative Erick Erickson urges GOP to use Donald Trump to dump John Boehner

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published 19 August 2015

Conservatives are starting to think that Donald Trump might not be so bad to have around after all. After months of what conservative radio show host Erick Erickson describes as growing alarm and "suspicion" among conservative and moderate members of Congress over Trump's unexpected rise and his previous ties to the Democratic Party, Republicans are starting to think The Donald might actually have a use: helping them oust Speaker of the House John Boehner. One Midwestern Congressman reportedly told Erickson: "Donald Trump is giving us another avenue to sell members on tossing Boehner. Suddenly, knowing what might come otherwise, the Speaker is expendable."

The group of Republicans that waged a "historic effort to deny Boehner the speakership" at the beginning of this year is watching Trump rile up a group of voters angry with "repeated Republican betrayals in Washington," and starting to get some ideas about how they might use that fiery rhetoric to their own benefit, Erickson writes on his website. Trump, according to Erickson, is simply "echo[ing] the grievances of most conservatives but louder." A lot louder.