The 2018 midterm elections are pivotal, in the sense that the results will dictate whether or not the Republican Party will stand strongly behind President Donald Trump moving forward, according to one Republican strategist and former Senate aide.
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Rick Tyler — a GOP strategist and former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas — predicted (video here) that the party would split from Trump if it suffers a setback in 2018.
"When does the Republican Party turn? When they get wiped out. That's what happens. If they get wiped out in [2018], the Republicans will absolutely turn on Donald Trump," Tyler argued.
Tyler also floated the idea that impeachment is still a plausible option the Republicans can pursue, and would, if 2018 proved to be a failure for the party.
"And I think to the point where they will impeach him and they will get 67 percent of the vote in the Senate to impeach him, to do that," Tyler added. "But it will require a wipeout."
For months, some Democratic lawmakers have floated the idea of impeachment, but the party has so far been unable to establish a uniform position on the issue, as several congressional Democrats are soon up for reelection — including in states Trump won handily. The party has been torn over whether or not candidates should make it a forefront issue to run on, and there are certainly plenty of risks involved with relying on such a promise.
The GOP's firm grasp on both chambers of Congress, at least until the midterms, also works against any moves for impeachment by the Democrats. There's also hardly any talk amongst Republican lawmakers that shows if they would ever support impeachment proceedings, so it's still anyone's guess if a turning point really is contingent on 2018 results.
Trump's recent split from his former chief strategist and current Breitbart News head Steve Bannon is also a substantial victory for Republicans, at least for the time being. Trump undercut Bannon and downplayed his role both on the campaign and in the White House.
Instead, Trump further aligned himself with the Republican establishment that Bannon has essentially sought to overthrow, opening the door for a joint effort by the White House and GOP to become aggressive about maintaining power in Washington.
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