Former President Donald Trump was hailed as a hero at the Republican National Convention and at other rallies thereafter. Many believe that he narrowly averted assassination and is meant to lead the United States into a new golden age.
Something new was going on at a conservative gathering in Georgia not long ago.
At “The Gathering,” the yearly convention presided over by well syndicated radio presenter Erick Erickson, there were minimal red hats and zero thunderous pledges to “Make America Great Again.” Instead, Erickson spent two days criticizing the GOP’s trajectory under Trump, with guests ranging from average people to Trump’s former vice president. They were more concerned about the prospect of a Kamala Harris government than they were about the potential benefits of another Trump administration when the November election rolled around.
The dynamics pose a serious threat to the former president’s prospects in several swing states, including Georgia, a state that was once a bastion for Republicans but is now officially a two-party state. Additionally, they highlight the fact that Trump does not have an automatic majority in the Republican Party; there are still conservatives who are skeptical of him and his policies, and their votes in fall will decide his fate.
Atlanta small business owner Barton McMillan, who has lived in the city for four decades, blames Trump for the recent Democratic victories in Georgia. McMillan voted for Trump willingly in 2016, and then he held his nose and did it again in 2020. Georgia backed Joe Biden for president in 2020 and elected two Democratic U.S. senators.
“This time, I’m not sure what to do,” McMillan stated. “And I speak for many of my fellow citizens.”
During Erickson’s assembly, many expressed their dismay over various topics such as federal spending, abortion policy, Trump’s proposed tariffs, America’s uncertain role in the international order, the former president’s flair for personal attacks, his obsession with the falsehood that his 2020 loss was caused by systemic voter fraud, and his unfounded belief that Mike Pence, his vice president at the time, had the authority to reverse Biden’s election.
“I am unable to support President Trump’s ongoing claim that I ought to have disregarded my pledge to uphold the Constitution and taken measures that would have nullified the outcome of the election,” Pence stated.
Standing ovation upon introduction, laughter upon comparing the former president to a tropical storm, and further applause upon urging Republicans to concentrate on the future were all responses to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who had just been scolded by Trump for failing to assist in overturning the 2020 election.
“We’re going to win Georgia despite past grievances,” Kemp assured Erickson, avoiding any mention of Trump by name. In several states, including Georgia, Trump is facing criminal indictments related to his attempts to rescind the 2020 election results.
Pence made fun of the Republican platform for 2024, pointing out that it avoids talking about the growing national debt that came about during Trump’s presidency and that, for the first time in decades, it doesn’t demand a nationwide ban on abortion. Among the GOP base’s more isolationist and protectionist tendencies, which Pence criticized, were the Republicans’ rejection of U.S. assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Vladimir Putin’s Russian invasion troops and Trump’s pledge to impose massive tariffs if reelected.
Pence claimed that “populism unmoored to conservative principle” had enchanted the Republican Party.
The 22-year-old Walter Michaelis, who is preparing to vote for the president for the second time, stood to applaud the former vice president and later stated that Trump’s “America First” strategy, particularly in regards to trade and tariffs, can be excessive.
During 2016, Michaelis expressed his understanding of the necessity of Trump. “However, I do occasionally believe that the party would be better off if it moved on.”
Although he has not yet determined whether to vote for the former president again, Michaelis, who backed Trump in 2020, stated that he would not support Harris.
Alpharetta resident and 30-year-old Kent Kim announced his support for Trump. He did, however, mention that he had previously abstained from voting for Trump, saying, “I know people who probably will do that this year.”
Suburban Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Phoenix were among the Republican strongholds that helped swing Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona to Biden, and Trump’s underperformance in these areas was a major factor in his loss. In the fall, Harris might also receive support from those same locations.
On stage with Erickson, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) bemoaned recent Republican defeats in winnable Senate races, while subtly acknowledging the risks. He mentioned that this includes Georgia, where Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, defeated Trump supporter Herschel Walker in 2022, even though Republicans had won all of the other statewide elections.
When asked about the incoming president, McConnell was less certain, although he did anticipate a Republican majority in the Senate. He has endorsed Trump for president despite blaming him for the rebellion at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Erickson was informed by him that everyone is aware of their hopes for the next administration. Still, other than endorsing the extension of “the Trump tax cuts” of 2017, McConnell laid out a conservative program that avoided bringing up the former president.
Additionally, McConnell echoed Pence’s criticism of an unidentified Republican for abandoning the conventional American position abroad.
“We’ve had occasionally these isolationist moods,” he remarked, recalling that the original “America First” rallying cry was born in the 1930s. It was only because of the opposition of certain American conservatives to the creation of NATO and the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe following WWII that “that stopped after Pearl Harbor,” as McConnell put it.
The same errors, according to McConnell’s warning, are imminent as “an axis of powerful regimes” North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran are “all talking to each other.” According to McConnell, this necessitates a stronger military budget for all Western democracies and a more forceful American presence abroad.
If I could leave a message for the incoming government, it would be this: Pay attention.
Subtle cautions were also voiced by some of Trump’s most vocal supporters.
In January 2021, when tens of thousands of Republicans who had voted for Trump in November remained home in the runoff following Trump’s open doubts about the validity of vote tallies, former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler discussed her loss to Democrat Raphael Warnock with Erickson. Loeffler refrained from criticizing Trump in the same way that Erickson did, but she did highlight the fact that Trump is urging his supporters to cast ballots by every means available, including early voting in person, mail, or on Election Day.
In a short interview, Rick Scott, a senator from Florida and a candidate to replace Mitch McConnell as the Republican leader of the Senate, stated that Trump is “going to be fine.” When questioned about Trump’s penchant for igniting party strife, Scott skillfully diverted attention to his own triumph in a string of tight governor and Senate races.
In the end, I want my races to be about a policy choice, so I do my best to make that clear. “Just be honest about what’s going on,” he said.
“Well, I mean, he’s going to run the race he likes to run,” Scott said when asked if he would give Trump that advise.
