Former GOP strategist Rick Wilson argued Friday that MAGA's cowering to President Donald Trump is killing the Republican party as he lashes out after six Democrats released a PSA reminding military members, "you don’t follow illegal orders."
In a Substack essay, Wilson described how Trump's reaction to the Democrat veterans' message — and his threats on the lawmakers' lives — was "the howl of a b----y autocrat who thinks the government is his property."
"We are on the verge of ugly chaos. The cause, unsurprisingly, is Donald Trump," Wilson wrote.
He argued the Republican party is "too cowardly to stop him" and as a result, the GOP can expect voters to do what Republicans are too afraid to do: stand up to Trump.
New national polling from Marquette Law School reveals that people want to vote for Democrats, which is something the Republican Party hasn't had to face in years, Wilson adds. Democrats are leading the poll about 5 points on the generic congressional ballot and Democrats are also leading by roughly 9 points with voters who say they plan to cast their ballots.
A Reuters/Ipsos this week echoed the same, that "Democrats are vastly more 'very enthusiastic' about voting in 2026 than Republicans (44% vs. 26%), and a bigger share say they’d regret skipping the election."
"That’s not a trivial vibe shift; that’s a structural shift. When your side is more motivated in November of an off-year, you’re usually the side that wins the seats when the real election shows up," he explained.
"Donald Trump on Thursday did what autocrats do when the mob gets restless, the propaganda stops working, and the lights start flickering in their palace: he is pointing at elected members of Congress and screaming 'traitor,' and then hinting, nudging, reposting, and cheerleading the idea they should be executed," Wilson writes.
As MAGA shifts its attention from Charlie Kirk's assassination, Trump has stepped in to issue more callous threats of political violence.
"We’re in that phase of the collapse of the Republic where Trump demands to be taken seriously, and literally, no matter how absurd and violent. All the MAGA scamfluencers calling for people to be fired, cancelled, and shunned for the crime of “Failing to Display The Official Emotions of Grief over Charlie Kirk” are baying for violence and blood."
"We’re done with their Kirk-worshipping martyr act now, at least. Their true, violent colors are on display," he added.
Now Republicans should be aware, Wilson argued, that Trump will turn on them.
"Tomorrow, it is you, the instant you vote the wrong way, ask a real question, or become inconvenient to the monarchy. You thought you had a pass on the Esptein vote, and for the moment, you do…but his mood is, as you may have noticed, mercurial," Wilson wrote.
"The execution talk is not a detour. It is the road. It is what happens when a movement stops believing in elections and starts believing in punishment."