new video loaded: What Trump Really Needs From the G.O.P.
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What Trump Really Needs From the G.O.P.
“You might be the kingmaker even while you’re not the king,” argues the Opinion columnist Ezra Klein. The Republican strategist Liam Donovan joins “The Ezra Klein Present” to elucidate that Trump’s core technique is making certain a susceptible G.O.P. can by no means abandon him.
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The massive query I’m fighting Donald Trump, as I battle with many questions on him. What does this man need? What’s his precise play right here? And perhaps it’s not that strategic, however to me, I believe there’s a technique right here, which is I believe he needs management of the Republican Occasion. I believe he cares about that greater than he cares about management of Congress. I believe that he’s much less anxious a couple of world the place Democrats have energy than he’s a couple of world the place Republicans really feel empowered to oppose him, to affix in investigations of him, and the hazard is Republicans ever really feel empowered to desert him. And that’s additionally how Donald Trump perhaps controls Republican Occasion into the longer term. I’m not an individual who believes he’s going to run for a 3rd time period, however might he proceed to exert huge energy over the Republican Occasion by persevering with to intervene in primaries everywhere in the nation? I believe he completely might. And you’ll be the kingmaker even while you’re not the king. I believe he definitely cares in regards to the fealty to him. I believe he cares about respect typically and his sense of energy. Is he pondering particularly in regards to the contingencies of what occurs when Democrats have management? I imply, at some stage. However I believe simply his impulses are to flex his muscle tissue and have Republicans do what he needs. And because it seems much less probably that the Home stays or no matter, then, sure, you start to begin occupied with, OK, nicely, if I can’t have that, what can I’ve? And I believe there’s a call tree there. However I simply assume as soon as we set up, does he care about doing the kinds of issues that make it simpler for folks to win elections when he’s not on the poll? He cares slightly bit. However when that’s in rigidity along with his management over the celebration, I definitely assume that that shapes his decision-making.

By ‘The Ezra Klein Present’
Might 30, 2026
