Now that Republicans have passed up an opportunity to banish him through impeachment, it is not clear how they can transform their party into something other than a vessel for a semi-retired demagogue who was repudiated by a majority of voters.
During the first trial of Donald Trump the former president commanded near-total fealty from his party. His conservative defenders were ardent and numerous, and Republican votes to convict him – for pressuring Ukraine to help him smear Joe Biden – were virtually non-existent.
In his second trial, Trump, no longer president, received less ferocious Republican support. His apologists were sparser in number and seemed to lack enthusiasm. Far fewer conservatives defended the substance of his actions, instead dwelling on technical complaints while skirting the issue of his guilt on the charge of inciting the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
