Jeff Flake: GOP 'migration' away from Trump has started [View all]

Source: The Hill

11/06/25 4:52 PM ET


Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said he believes the Republican Party is beginning to move away from President Trump, citing pockets of dissent within the party and the recent poor performances of GOP candidates in downballot races.

“In politics, migrations rarely happen all at once. They start quietly — one or two members of a herd moving toward safer ground while the rest pretend not to notice. But once the wind really changes, the movement becomes unmistakable,” Flake wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Thursday. “I believe that a migration has begun within the Republican Party,” he continued.

Flake, who was fiercely critical of Trump during his first administration, said he sees the “first signs” of fractions emerging in the GOP. He pointed to Republican senators’ opposition to Trump’s call to end the filibuster. He also noted Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) vocal criticism of Trump’s tariff policies and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) public break with the president on several issues.

While Flake noted Greene’s independent streak might not last forever, “even a temporary defection signals to others that it can be done,” and “It gives cover to those who have privately questioned the direction of the party but have been unwilling to say so aloud.” “The political climate that once rewarded absolute loyalty to the president is shifting,” he continued. “The Democratic landslide in Tuesday’s off-year elections will only add momentum to that.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5594031-gop-dissent-growing-trump/