Donald Trump's installation of loyalists at the Republican National Committee and the subsequent staffer purge served as a trial run for what the former president plans to do next, says GOP strategist and Republican Accountability Project leader Sarah Longwell.
Longwell appeared on MSNBC Tuesday night to discuss with host Chris Hayes Trump's plans for the civil service if reelected to the White House in 2025 one day after a reported RNC "bloodbath" saw 60 officials get the ax.
"I always feel like we've taken the final step in Trump's complete takeover of the Republican Party, but there is always another step," said Longwell. "Because he is formally taking over the Republican Party apparatus here. You know, so it started with the resignation of Jeff Flake and it ends with Lara Trump controlling the RNC."
Before Trump was a U.S. president, he was the popular host of a reality television series "The Apprentice" best known for the catchphrase "You're fired."
Longwell argued Trump has brought that mindset to the RNC and he will bring that mindset to the federal government, replacing axed workers with people who will do his bidding.
"That's what he wants to do to the government," Longwell said. "He wants to create an entire American government that is at his service. He's running for president to pay off his legal bills and he's trying to get elected president to stay out of jail. It's all about him, and the Republican Party is completely in service to that."
The part that makes all this "crazy," Longwell added, is that all of this pulls resources from Republican candidates around the country who need to win to give Trump any real power.
"There are down-ticket races where people need money," said Longwell. "And the RNC is only there singularly for Trump."
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