Jeff Flake: ‘Trumpism Cannot Be the Future of the Republican Party’

“I don’t know anyone who thinks that this is the future of the party. Anger and resentment only go so far; you have to have a governing philosophy.”

Jeff Flake said he’s shocked to still see his former Republican colleagues playing to President Donald Trump’s tune.

The former Arizona Republican senator spoke out against his former GOP colleagues to The Washington Post Tuesday, saying he thinks they’re destroying the country. 

“I don’t know anyone who thinks that this is the future of the party,” Flake said to the Post. “This is a demographic cul-de-sac we’re in, if nothing else. Anger and resentment only go so far; you have to have a governing philosophy. I don’t know of any of my colleagues who really believe this is it. I just couldn’t support [Donald Trump] long before he started to run.”

Flake added that Trump’s Obama birther claim was just too much for him, and everything that came after was a complete 180-degree turn.

He also said it’s incredible Republicans are still willing to look the other way while selling out their principles as long as they received tax cuts and right-wing judges. 

The former senator stated he will not be voting for Trump in November, and the Republican Party would fare better if Trump were not re-elected to the presidency. 

Like Arizona’s Sen. John McCain, Flake has not shied away from speaking out against issues within the Republican party since Trump took office.

He has criticized the President’s racist calls for congresswomen of color to “go back” to where they came from, and implied that at least 35 Republican senators would likely vote for Trump to be removed from office if they knew their votes would remain private.  

Flake told The Washington Post, “I’ve been puzzled by the trade-off some have made. There are some who think: Well, we’re getting some good conservative policy, good conservative judges, tax and regulatory reform. But I know that everyone worries about what this does to the standing of the party, long term. For the most part, it’s just trying to stay in office so you can fight another day. Maybe outlast the president. And stay in his good graces, knowing full well that at any time the president can pick up a phone and generate a primary.”

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