It’s no secret that in today’s Republican Party, crossing Donald Trump is a career-ending move. Just ask Tom Rice. When the South Carolina congressman decided to vote for Trump’s impeachment after the Capitol riot in January 2021, he might as well have signed his own political death warrant. The backlash was immediate and intense—angry calls, hate-filled emails, even death threats. By the time he ran for re-election, a sheriff’s deputy was regularly by his side at public events. But none of it could save him – politically. Trump, never one to let a slight go unpunished, threw his weight behind Rice’s primary challenger, and the results were predictably disastrous for Rice.
Rice’s downfall is just one example of how Trump has turned the GOP into his own personal fiefdom, where loyalty to him is the ultimate currency. His strategy is simple but ruthless: back those who support him without question and destroy those who don’t. It’s not just high-profile figures like Rice who have felt the sting of Trump’s retribution. From state legislators to local election officials, anyone who fails to toe the line risks being targeted by Trump and his fervent base.
One more instance is Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia. After refusing to help Trump overturn the results of the 2020 election, Kemp found himself in the former president’s crosshairs. At a rally, Trump belittled him as “Little Brian,” framing his attack as part of a broader effort to cleanse the party of disloyal elements. Once again, Trump’s message was clear: support me, or face dire consequences.
And the consequences are real. Trump’s endorsement—or the lack thereof—has become a powerful tool for shaping the party. Since 2022, he has backed challengers against at least 13 Republican members of Congress whom he deemed disloyal. Most of them lost their seats or were forced to drop out of the race altogether. The few who survived the primaries did so by the skin of their teeth, often having to publicly pledge their allegiance to Trump to avoid being cast out.
The purge hasn’t been limited to Congress. Trump has also gone after lower-tier officials, from state legislators to local judges, using his Truth Social platform to single out those he sees as obstacles to his agenda. The impact has been chilling. Republican officials across the country have been harassed, threatened, and, in some cases, driven out of office by Trump’s supporters, who have taken his rhetoric as a call to arms.
When Glenn Rogers, a conservative Texas legislator, voted to impeach the state’s attorney general, a Trump ally accused of abusing his office, he quickly found himself on the receiving end of Trump’s wrath. Vandals spray-painted “RINO” on his campaign signs, and Trump himself endorsed Rogers’ opponent in the primary. The fallout was swift and brutal, and Rogers was ousted. Yet despite all this, Rogers still plans to vote for Trump, simply because he views the Democrats as an even greater threat.
What’s particularly striking—and frankly, a little terrifying—is how Trump’s tactics have created a culture of fear within the party. Republicans who might otherwise speak out against him are often silenced by the very real possibility of facing political violence or being driven out of office. Sarah Longwell, a former Republican strategist, put it succinctly: “It’s hard to disaggregate the fear of political violence and the fear of career suicide.”
By the time Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination again, the party had been thoroughly reshaped in his image. Most of his prominent critics had either fallen in line or been cast aside. Even those who had once been vocal in their opposition, like former Attorney General William Barr or ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, eventually recanted, aligning themselves with Trump in hopes of political survival.
But Trump’s scorched-earth approach isn’t without its risks. While it has solidified his control over the party, it has also alienated some moderate Republicans and independent voters—groups he’ll need if he wants to win back the White House. In key battleground states like Arizona, Trump’s relentless attacks on fellow Republicans have hurt him in the polls against Democratic contender Kamala Harris.
Still, Trump seems undeterred. For him, the calculus is simple: loyalty or nothing. And as long as his base continues to respond to his rhetoric, Trump is likely to keep doubling down, even if it means tearing the Republican Party apart in the process.
