Jonathan Bernstein, Columnist

Why Republican Politicians Stick With Trump

Fictional election fraud pumps up the base, and that’s all that matters in a policy-free party.

The lie that binds.

Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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You want to know something really depressing? Now is the time when Republicans have the least to fear from former President Donald Trump. There’s more than a year to go until the 2022 midterm elections, and at least 10 months until the primaries for those elections. Trump left office at one of his low points in popularity. Sure, most Republican voters still like him — as most Republicans like most Republican politicians (other than congressional leaders, who are almost always unpopular).