Why Do So Many Republicans Follow Trump Like Sheep Despite His Blatant Lies?

By Robert Weiner and Olivia Ardito

When you think back to who won the presidential election in 2020, if you believe it was President Biden, congratulations! You can successfully understand basic factual information. If you believe that Trump won, you would be part of a select category of far-right Republicans who struggle to accept facts and prefer to prioritize lies. Despite being a chronic liar, getting convicted as a felon, facing tons of federal charges including defrauding the government, causing an insurrection against the federal government, and struggling to speak competently much of the time, Trump still has a loyal clan of followers. Notable ones include Freedom Caucus Members such as Majorie Taylor Greene (R GA-14) and Matt Gaetz (R FL-1). Why have his fellow Republicans not ostracized him from the party for his abnormal behavior? Why do they continue to be a loyal flock?

The answer comes down to cowardice and selfishness. These Republicans will not waiver in their support for Trump because they are afraid of his retaliation. Because of this, Trump supporters are scarily loyal to a fault. Everyone knows one house nearby that always flies their Trump flag high every day. Maybe you have an uncle who insists on praising Trump at every holiday dinner. We all have the date "January 6" engrained into our memories. The point is that Trump's most passionate fans follow his actions at the drop of a pin. He has successfully completed every populist's dream of portraying himself in enough of a god-like manner to amass a brainwashed, unrelenting group of voters.

Because of the intensity and breadth of this cult-like following, he has threatened to mobilize his supporters to vote against any Republican who shows even a hint of disloyalty against him. While at a campaign rally on July 29, 2023, in Erie, PA, Trump verbatim said that "any Republican that doesn't act on Democratic fraud should be immediately primaried." Mobilizing a significant portion of the country's voters against members of Congress is a daunting threat. Trump's rhetoric around this issue almost feels like a dare. Would his beloved followers really dare to turn on him if it meant they would lose their seats? For many, it appears that their fear of Trump retaliating really is that strong.

However, the more important question is if they should take Trump's threats seriously. Will they really lose their positions in future elections if Trump removes his endorsement and supports their challengers?

All eyes were on three critical primaries that occurred on June 25: South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District, Colorado's 5th Congressional District, and Utah's Senate. In each of these three Republican primaries, one candidate was endorsed by Trump and one was not. Believe it or not, the Trump-backed Republican lost to the non-Trump Republican every time. In South Carolina, Sheri Briggs won over Trump-endorsed Mark Burns. In Colorado, Jeff Crank, endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, won against Trump-backed Dave Williams. Finally, in Utah Rep. John Curtis won over Trump-endorsed Trent Staggs.

It doesn't stop with primaries. There is no clearer example than Brad Raffensperger. The Georgia Secretary of State has been a vocal Trump critic and a thorn in Trump's side after refusing to "find 11,780 votes" to help him win the 2020 election. Time and time again, Trump has spoken out against Raffensperger repeatedly since 2020 yet Raffensperger won the 2022 election to keep his position.

The Trump endorsement simply does not hold the power that many believe it to.

Far too many Republican politicians continue to flock around Trump in hopes of gaining the Trump benefit. However, these recent primaries show that such loyalty simply is not worth it anymore. Will this change finally be a big enough push for his sheep to stop their unrelenting support? Will we begin to see other politicians follow Speaker Mike Johnson's lead and slowly pull back? For the sake of American democracy, hopefully, the answer is yes. If nothing else, we can hope to count on far-right Republicans continuing to act selfishly, follow the herd, and do whatever is best for their careers rather than their constituents.

Robert Weiner was a spokesman in the Clinton and George W. Bush White Houses. He was communications director of the House Government Operations Committee, and senior aide to Congressmen John Conyers and Charles Rangel, Reps. Claude Pepper and Ed Koch, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Four-Star General/drug czar Barry McCaffrey.

Olivia Ardito is a policy analyst, research coordinator, and Op-Ed writer working at Robert Weiner Associates News and Solutions for Change. She was Boston Latin School '21, the Youth Director of the Mayor's Youth Council under Mayor Marty Walsh, intern and fellow for former Boston City Councilman Matt O'Malley, and congressional intern for MA Congressman Jim McGovern.