A former Tea Party Congressman just threatened to primary Trump

There are elements of the GOP that still insist Donald Trump is not representative of their party’s views, that he’s an anomaly who somehow managed to steal the nomination and then lucked into the White House.

They tell us that his racism, incompetence, and kleptocratic practices are a fluke. They want us to believe that the Republican Party, the real Republican Party, is actually all about small government and individual liberties. Don’t believe them.

Trump’s approval rating among Republicans currently stands at a staggering 88%. The party’s establishment stands arrayed beyond him, eager and willing to excuse even his worst behavior. Trump is not some cancer inside the GOP, he is the GOP. The entire thing is rotten to its core.

That said, the more we can encourage disunity and infighting within the Republican Party, the better. This plutocratic, nihilistic organization has to be repudiated, defeated, and humiliated before it can reduce our democracy to ash.

With that in mind, today’s announcement by former Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh that he is “strongly, strongly considering” challenging Trump in the 2020 Republican primaries should be looked upon favorably.

Walsh, originally a Trump supporter of such extreme stripes that he encouraged his Twitter followers to “grab their muskets” if Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election, has gradually morphed into one of the president’s most outspoken critics. His pinned tweet demonstrates the normal timbre of his opinion these days.

The former Congressman appeared on CNN and explained how it would be a major historical mistake if the Republican Party stands by and refuses to oppose Trump in any way in 2020. When asked if that meant Walsh himself intends to run against the president, he indicated there’s a good chance.

“I’m strongly, strongly considering it,” said Walsh. “That’s… Again, I’m not trying to be cute or coy. I’ve told you before if somebody’s gonna get in there and go after him John, it’s gotta be done soon. You’re running out of time. But more importantly, these are not conventional times. Look at the guy in the White House. These are urgent times. Somebody needs to make that case.”

He went on to add that’s he’s not completely sure he will do it, but if he does it will be soon.

Watch Walsh’s full comments below.

Whether Walsh has turned against Trump because he genuinely recognizes what a disaster this president is or because he simply wants to escape the imploding MAGA-version of his party out of cynical self-interest is unclear.  Either way, he could prove to be a welcome thorn in the president’s side.