As Donald Trump departs the White House for the last time he leaves behind a bitter split amongst Republicans over how they should treat his legacy.
Republicans in congress are divided over whether Trump should continue to act as their kingmaker or whether the party needs to break from him and return to its traditional, less populist roots.
It is a battle that sees party heavyweights on both sides squaring off against each other as the still large shadow of Trump hovers over them all.
Much will depend on how Trump behaves in his post-presidential life.
In his farewell address at the White House on Wednesday (AEDT) he implied he would continue to fuel his own populist movement.
“I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning,’’ he said, adding that it would “only grow stronger by the day.”
But Trump’s disastrous final months in office when he denied the reality of the election loss and incited his supporters who marched on the Capitol, have badly tarnished his brand.
A small but growing number of key Republicans are now keen to break with the president to whom they showed almost completely loyalty for four years.
The withering criticism of Trump from Liz Cheney, the third ranked Republican in the house, suggests that she wants Republicans to leave Trump behind. The fact that a record 10 Republicans in the house also broke with Trump to vote to impeach him along with criticism from another half-dozen Republican senators show that the debate over the future direction of the party in the post-Trump era is very much alive.
Outgoing Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell’s stinging attack on Trump on the last day of Trump’s presidency raised speculation that McConnell also wants Trump to play no part in the future of the Republican Party.
Yet Trump still commands enormous support within the party, underpinned by the fact that 77 million Americans voted for him.
In the house 197 Republicans voted not to impeach and the majority of Senate Republicans are likely to vote to acquit him in a Senate trial.
Some of these do not support Trump strongly but are instead fearful of the consequences for their own political future if they cross him.
The question is whether the anti-Trump forces in the party will now step up their fight to restore the Republican Party back to its more traditional roots of being pro-free trade, pro-immigration and pro-fiscal responsibility. Or has the Trump era forever transformed the Republicans into a populist party, more aligned with working class Americans than the Democrats?
Trump has left office without hinting whether he would run again for president in 2024. It may be that he has damaged his legacy too much for that to happen, given that he leaves office with record low approval ratings. If the Senate convicts him in an impeachment trial he won’t be allowed to run again.
But, assuming he is acquitted, his decision to run or not to run will have a huge impact on Republicans, especially who appear to have their own presidential ambitions like Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence.
Even if Trump chooses not to run, he could still potentially remain a kingmaker within the party. But if he shows more interest in golf and in building his presidential library, you can expect those like Cheney, Mitt Romney and possibly even McConnell, to push hard to move the party beyond the Trump era.
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