Tillis: GOP Should Ditch Trump Populism, 'Go Back' to Conservative Principles

Wednesday on CNN’s “The Arena,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said the Republican Party should ditch President Donald Trump’s populism and “go back” to its conservative core. Tillis said, “I say in the book, some of these people want to intimidate Trump, but it’s like putting on a Spiderman costume without having been bitten by a radioactive spider. It’s a bad look. Nobody’s going to repeat Trump and his personality.” He continued, “I was a Republican, as I say in the book, when President Trump was hosting fundraisers for Democrats. I like a lot of things the president’s done for this party, but now we’re exposed and we’re seeing it in the polls. But I believe in conservatism now. I don’t believe in a Republican Party that thinks equity stakes in corporations is okay, and tariffs, whether you’ve got a trade surplus or not, are okay. And that Russia may be a good guy or Putin may be a good guy, and we could have a win win in Ukraine. That’s not a conservative Republican Party. So part of what we have to do is get back from the drift we’ve experienced in this phase of populism and get back to our principles.” Host Kasie Hunt said, “What evidence do you have that that’s the case, that the Republican Party has not been permanently changed by Donald Trump?” Tillis said, “Well, I mean, in a populist age, it’s difficult, but I think there’s nothing like a loss in the election for people to go back.” Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN