The Republicans: Wholly the Party of Trump?

UPDATE: The Republican Party has become the party of Donald Trump, but there are some signs Trump’s grip on the party may be weakening.

• If you thought Trump’s days in US presidential politics were done, you might want to think again. In recent months, Trump has been acting like a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
• Although he hasn’t formally declared, Trump has raised money and spoken at rallies across the US. Many analysts believe he is certain to run again and may well win the Republican nomination.
• It’s not clear anyone in his party—even his quiet detractors—can stop him. Republicans see Trump’s popularity with the party’s base and calculate it would be political suicide to oppose him.
• This was reinforced last week when the Republican National Committee censured two Republican lawmakers for serving on the panel investigating the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
• Stunningly, the national committee referred to the investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack as a “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”
• While the committee’s move would suggest the Republican Party has completely become the party of Trump, some Republicans pushed back against it.
• On Tuesday, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, pushed back forcefully, calling the January 6 attack a "violent insurrection."
• Some Republican lawmakers, moreover, are expressing a growing sense of frustration over Trump's domination of the party. Polls even suggest Trump’s base of support may be slowly fading.
• This all raises critical questions for US politics. Has Trumpism completely taken over the Republican Party? Or are there signs his grip on the party is weakening?