It’s Time For Republican Senators To Stand Up To Trump – Forward
President Donald J. Trump is a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot. A delusional narcissist. An orange-faced windbag. President Trump is a megalomaniac strongman with a relentless focus on dividing Americans. A sniveling coward and a pathological liar. President Trump bragged about preying upon women. He has shown complete disregard for common decency. He opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities. He is the most vulgar person ever to have aspired to the presidency. A speck of dirt is way more qualified to be president.
These are not my words, mind you. These are the words of seven Republican members of the United States Senate: Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, Ben Sasse, Ted Cruz, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Marco Rubio. And there are still more Republican senators who spoke similar words during the past year.
Why did they say such inflammatory things about a fellow Republican? Because they are standard bearers of a noble political party that has fought for principles and values that are precious to millions of Americans, going back to Abraham Lincoln. Because they couldnt stay silent when they saw Donald Trump savaging the ideals and the good name of their party. And because they were confident that Donald Trump was never going to be elected President.
However, Donald Trump won election, and now these Republican senators have a daily opportunity to show the American people their integrity.
These seven lawmakers in fact, even just three of the seven at any one time in a 52-48 Republican-controlled Senate can deny President Trump the absolute power they have noted he craves.
Hyperbolic, you say? Perhaps you should ask Senator Sasse, who once wrote: Have you noticed how Mr. Trump uses the word Reign like he thinks hes running for King? Its creepy, actually.
Yet these seven Republican senators among others who have made similar statements have been casting their first votes in near-total allegiance to their reigning leader. For instance, the party-line confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite a national outcry from millions who worry about his commitment to protecting civil rights. And now they labor over whether to investigate the possibility of crimes committed during the Trump presidential campaign or simply look the other way.
Getty Images
Our new president is undoubtedly watching these earliest congressional actions very carefully and deciding whether the legislative branch actually is a check and balance on his authority, as the framers of the Constitution had intended.
Our system of government retains its genius, nearly a quarter of a millennium since its inception. But it only works if those possessing legislative power are brave and principled enough to stand up to a president who, as Senator Collins once wrote, will slash and burn and trample anything and anyone he perceives as being in his way.
When senators of a political party know and openly admit such things about the head of their party who occupies the White House, a duty arises that is much greater than loyalty to party loyalty to country.
History records the heroic defense of our nations soul by past Republican legislators when the need ran highest. The GOP was in its infancy when its representatives and senators risked everything to back President Lincoln in staring down slavery. More recently, it was the courage of conviction demonstrated by Republicans in the House and Senate that forced Richard Nixons resignation and restored honor and dignity to the White House. Todays Republican legislators are not the first to face a choice between loyalty to party and loyalty to country. The only question is whether they will be the first to fail that test.
Moreover, we should hope that loyalty to God might supersede loyalty to party for senators who hold the power of counterbalance to a president about whom they have admitted such things. In a nation where so many of our elected leaders proudly base their policy decisions on their stated Judeo-Christian values, it is curious that the most foundational Judeo-Christian beliefs seem dispensable. Love your fellow human being as yourself (Leviticus 19:18 and Mark 12:31). Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12). Surely, both the least and most devout among our legislators would acknowledge that the things they themselves have said about their partys leader do not leave much room for the Golden Rule. Will their devotion to their country and to their God take precedence over their devotion to the President of the United States, whose famous vindictive streak, which they openly concede and obviously fear, threatens to tear the very fabric of our democracy?
Wrote Senator Sasse during the campaign: The task of public officials is to be public servants. The law is king, and the people are boss.
Said Senator Paul on Tuesday: I dont think its useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party.
Be careful, senators. You are standing with a president who in his first month on the job has already chosen repeatedly to defy both the law and the will of the people. Be forewarned. History is watching you, and so are we Republicans and Democrats and Independents alike. And we will remember.
Rabbi Ken Chasen is Senior Rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, California.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.
Original post:
It's Time For Republican Senators To Stand Up To Trump - Forward
- Opinion | Jeff Flake: The Republican Fever Must Break - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican state lawmaker of making unwanted sexual advances. He denies the allegations. - The Colorado Sun - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- 1988: A year that echoes in Georgia Republican politics to this day - SaportaReport - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Manassas Republican Party Headquarters vandalized over July 4 weekend - Washington Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Republican House leader Windschitl announces campaign for Congress in western Iowa - thegazette.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Public Safety Should Trump Politics; The High Cost of Republican Posturing - Progress Texas - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Georgia Republican says grandchildren are safe after being at Texas summer camp that flooded - The Hill - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican State Representative of inappropriate sexual behavior - KUSA.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New York Times columnist admits that Trump is a 'normie Republican' - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- E&E News: Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - POLITICO Pro - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Completely beatable: Dems go on offensive over unpopular Republican budget - MSNBC News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Rep. Mark Green resigns from Congress, leaving Speaker Johnson with an even narrower Republican majority in the House - CNBC - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A swing-district Republican on why he supports Trump's sweeping policy bill : Here & Now Anytime - NPR - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Trumps climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters - Yale Climate Connections - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - E&E News by POLITICO - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tax Cuts Now, Benefit Cuts Later: The Timeline in the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Opinion | An Immoral and Cruel Republican Bill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted For - The Atlantic - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Truth to Power: A Republican Senator Stands Up for Medicaid and His Constituents; Then Announces Retirement - Georgetown University - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- 9 Questions About the Republican Megabill, Answered - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- This Pennsylvania Republican withstood pressure on the megabill. Heres why. - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican Deletes Post That Appeared To Celebrate Millions Of People Losing Health Insurance - Yahoo - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Puts Nation on New, More Perilous Fiscal Path - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump says the Republican mega bill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not - PBS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Will Raise Costs, Poverty, and Hunger, Take Health Coverage Away From Millions - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican voters on Trumps sweeping tax-and-spend legislation: This bill is a no-brainer! - The Guardian - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- These are the Republican votes to watch on the Trump megabill - The Hill - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump Meets With House Republican Holdouts to Press for Policy Bill - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement - Reuters - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- House Should Reject Senate Republican Bill That Is Even Worse Than Already Harmful House Version in Important Ways - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump Tax Bill Hits Republican Resistance in House Ahead of Vote - Bloomberg - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The Republican senators who voted against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Reconciliation Bill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Which Republican senators voted against Trump's agenda bill and why - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- State of Colorado says Republican budget bill will cut billions in federal funding for Medicaid in the state - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican Senator Tells House Not To Vote on Bill She Just Voted For - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Here Are the Republican Senators Who May Revolt on Trumps Bill - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | The Republican Policy Bill Will Cripple Obamacare - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- House Republican files amendment to revert Trump-endorsed 'big, beautiful bill' back to initial House version - Fox News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican budget leaders moving forward a plan to close the aging Green Bay prison - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party - Politico - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection next year after Trump attacks - NPR - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Following Trump attacks, Republican Senator Tillis bows out of 2026 reelection race - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican North Carolina Sen. Tillis wont seek reelection after opposing Trumps bill - PBS - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina wont run in 2026 after opposing Trumps bill - AP News - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Sanders Leads Republican Governors to Call on Congress to Remove AI Regulatory Moratorium from One, Big, Beautiful Bill - Arkansas Governor - Sarah... - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- House Republican Don Bacon, a Trump critic, will not seek reelection - media - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Exclusive | One NY Republican opens massive lead in possible primary to face Gov. Kathy Hochul: poll - New York Post - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won't seek reelection after opposing Trump's bill - WCCB Charlotte - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Nebraska Republican Don Bacon will not seek re-election to Congress - NBC News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Democratic and Republican Parties Hold Nominating Events This Week for Sept. 9 Special Election - Fairfax County (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Vulgar and threatening graffiti painted on Huntsville business ahead of Republican congresswomans visit - WAFF - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Running List of Policies Rejected From the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trumps Bill Slashes the Safety Net That Many Republican Voters Rely on - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican plans to overhaul Medicaid are already shaking up the 2026 midterms - CNN - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Senate Republican Tax Plan: Officially Worse than the House Republican Tax Plan - Senate Committee on Finance (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Texas Republican State Representative discusses why he opposed the THC ban, criticizes the state bud - CBS News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican Says 'Most' of Iran's Uranium Is Still There - Newsweek - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Fewer Democrats Are Taking the Bait on Republican Immigration Votes - NOTUS - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- US Republican senators push back on Trump cuts to foreign aid and public media - Reuters - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican introduces amendment to end birthright citizenship once and for all - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - Yahoo - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Scoop: New Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky to team up with top Trump ally - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Republican foreign policy debate, President Trump, and the transatlantic alliance - Brookings - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Republican plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands is no more for now - Los Angeles Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Health Agenda Takes Health Coverage Away From Millions of People and Raises Families Costs - Center on... - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Sweeping GOP budget bill illuminates the central fault line in the modern Republican coalition - CNN - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Lisa Murkowskis commitment to the Trump-era Republican Party appears increasingly shaky - MSNBC News - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican plans to cap student borrowing could shatter an everyday profession - Politico - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican Lisa Murkowski on Trumps America and the intensity on the security of our democracy - The Guardian - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican Party split over whether Trump should involve US in Israel-Iran conflict - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- California Republican Kevin Kiley opposes sale of public land near Tahoe, Yosemite - KCRA - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican lawmaker with ectopic pregnancy nearly died amid new Florida abortion laws but blames the left - Yahoo - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican congressman says it would be great for Qatar to strike back against Iran - The Independent - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Critics warn Republican budget would worsen health disparities for Black mothers - NBC Connecticut - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Republican Rep. Max Miller says he was 'run off the road' by pro-Palestinian protester - Fox News - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid speak to each other for the first time in eight weeks - WRIC ABC 8News - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Opinion | The Alabama Republican Party is heading down a familiar path - Alabama Political Reporter - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Legislative Republican proposal would change how Wisconsin pays for voucher schools - WPR - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]