It’s not MAGA Republicans in the House who are forcing Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) out of leadership. It’s Republicans who aren’t especially fond of former president Donald Trump but want to stop talking about him. I have a column at Bloomberg Opinion about what they’re thinking and why they may not get their wish.
Most Republican politicians would like Trump to fade away on his own without their doing anything that upsets him or his strongest supporters. They don’t want to join Trump in claiming that the Democrats stole the 2020 election. They don’t want to join Cheney in denying it, either. It will take a lot of luck to keep dodging through next year’s primaries.
Trump, meanwhile, seems unwilling to cooperate in fading away. A Republican Party that incorporates some of the changes he has wrought, moves on and succeeds is not in his interest. And even without a Twitter account, he has a flair for getting attention.