For Better or Worse, Trump and the GOP Need Each Other

President Trump and his Never Trump antagonists have found something they agree on. They both want to separate Trump from the Republican Party.

If that happened, Republicans would surely—and probably instantly—regret it. Trump would be weakened and isolated. And the Republican Party would not only have left the president, it would split, with many Republicans siding with Trump. The whole thing would be an unprecedented and unnecessary disaster.

Chances are, a separation won’t happen, though Trump seems to be laying the groundwork for one by airing in public his complaints about congressional Republicans. And the Never Trump crowd regards his conduct as evidence of the need for a divorce.

Trump has attacked Republican senators as if they are conspiring against him, handed out orders to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that haven’t been followed, and issued threats to shut down the government that congressional Republicans have ignored. He thinks Republicans are a drag on his presidency.

Since Trump was elected, the Never Trumpers (who are mostly Republicans) have insisted he’s unfit to be president. They have a growing team of allies. Democrats, the elite media, and liberal and left-wing groups echo their calls for Republicans to spurn Trump and run Congress independently of the White House.