GOP strategist: Republicans are blowing it with tariffs and talk of a third Trump term | Opinion

I’ve been a Republican my entire adult life. I’m a proud conservative who believes in limited government, individual liberty and the enduring promise of America. I come from the school of Ronald Reagan: where America’s greatness stems not from government, but from the freedom and opportunity it affords every citizen.

I want to root for my side, but lately, I find more to criticize than to celebrate.

Some of my criticism is minor. When President Barack Obama promoted the solar startup Solyndra, Republicans hammered him for picking winners and losers. Now we cheer when President Donald Trump turned the White House into a Tesla showroom.

Then there are the bigger policy issues, like tariffs. The turmoil and chaos surrounding Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs — and the looming threat of a trade war — reflect an economic nationalism and protectionism that is unlikely to create a new Golden Age for America. History suggests it results not in prosperity, but in business failures, job losses and broad economic instability.

For decades, Republicans held firm in their dedication to free-market principles. Many of us believed, as President Ronald Reagan did, that “the way to prosperity ... is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition.”

Today, that belief is being cast aside in favor of short-term populism dressed up as patriotism.

I think that’s why so many Republicans feel politically homeless right now. They don’t support Democrats, but the MAGA movement doesn’t feel like a good fit. It’s abandoned GOP principles in favor of raw power.

Somewhere along the way, Republicans in Washington stopped treating the Constitution as the nation’s foundation. This led to a steady expansion of executive power. Then congressional Republicans surrendered their legislative responsibilities, choosing loyalty to Trump over their constitutional duty. Now, both Trump and his allies in Congress are actively working to undermine the independence, authority and legitimacy of the judiciary.

Yes, the courts have issued more orders against Trump than any president in modern history. And yes, activist judges do exist. But judicial activism doesn’t mean “rulings I don’t like.”

Maybe the reason there’s a record number of injunctions against Trump is because he has taken a record number of actions that exceed his constitutional authority.

Without question, Trump is aggressively testing the outer limits of executive power, and it’s the judiciary’s responsibility to serve as a check on that power. That’s not anti-Trump. It’s pro-Constitution. And it used to be a hallmark of conservatism.

Even more absurd is the idea of Trump serving a third term.

While some might dismiss this as a joke, some House Republicans have already flirted with shown sycophantic levels of Trump worship — recommending his visage be placed putting him on Mount Rushmore, proposing Washington Dulles International Airport be renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport, and yes, even introducing a resolution (just three days after Trump took office) to amend the Constitution to allow a president to be elected for up to three terms.

Setting aside the glaring constitutional violation, are we really saying that in a nation of over 300 million people, our best option in 2028 is Trump — who will be 82 years old? Did we learn nothing from the Biden fiasco, where age became a liability and a distraction? Is there truly no one else? Is Vice President JD Vance that bad of an option?

If the future of the Republican Party depends on one man clinging to power past the constitutional limit, then we have bigger problems than just the legal issue. We have a crisis of ideas and leadership.

I want my party to succeed. I really do. I want Tuesday’s closely-watched Wisconsin Supreme Court race, won by a liberal over a conservative, to be an outlier, not a warning sign of what’s to come. I want our party to lead with strength, vision and integrity.

But that can only happen if we return to our core principles: limited government, individual liberty, and above all, a steadfast commitment to the Constitution. Without those, we’re not a party. We’re just another political machine chasing power instead of standing for something.

This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 1:15 PM.