After Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025, the Republican Party has been in full alignment with both his agenda and his nominees for key offices. Republicans have not only successfully navigated some opposing views inside the party to fully support the President but have also moved swiftly to do so.
Cabinet-level confirmations Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced initial scrutiny from some Republican senators due to concerns over their qualifications, policy stances, or prior actions. All were ultimately confirmed reflecting the Republican Party's almost perfect alignment with President Trump.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cheerfully noted that the Senate has confirmed 18 Cabinet-level nominees, surpassing both the Obama administration's pace in 2009 and more than doubling the Biden administration's pace in 2021.
However, following President Trump's recent remarks that Ukraine started the war, and that President Zelenskyy was a dictator without elections, the Republicans, for the first time since the inauguration, were speaking out against the President.
On 20 February, Republican Senator Thom Tillis took to the Senate floor, breaking with President Trump to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin, referring to him as a "cancer." Senator Tillis also rejected Trump’s comments blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the war in Ukraine.
Even media hosts long-time supporters of Trump have been speaking out. Fox News host Mark Levin, criticized the president’s recent attacks, stating that "MAGA doesn’t support Putin." Speaking on his show, Levin expressed support for Zelensky's leadership since Russia’s 2022 invasion. A few hours later, he backtracked in an attempt to avoid angering the President.
Litmus test
The signs that Ukraine will be the litmus test for the members of the Republican party were visible already during the recent Munich Security Conference. After U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a return to Ukraine’s pre-war borders was “unrealistic”, Senior Republican senator, and Senate Armed Services Chair, expressed being both "puzzled" and "disturbed" by remarks made by Hegseth regarding Ukraine.
It is encouraging that Republicans who recognize the true stakes for American national interests, if it fails to get Ukraine-Russia war right, are beginning to speak out. Certainly, they are doing so not just publicly but also in private conversations with the President.
Marco Rubio, who has so far adopted a more ‘diplomatic’ and cautious approach compared to the ‘MAGA’ newcomers like Hegseth and JD Vance, could play a key role in shaping the conversation around Donald Trump. However, it is unclear to what extent he is willing to do so.
Other Republicans should be joining in, highlighting the potential for Trump to shape history, explaining the geopolitical consequences of an American pullback, and engaging military leaders or respected national security experts within the Republican party to provide ‘narrative’, evidence and advice that could help guide Trump’s position in the right direction.
The stakes are high for both the country and the Republican Party, long defined by core values such as America’s global strength, strategic alliances, a strong military, and a commitment to national interests. The key question now is whether these principles will endure or if the MAGA movement will erode them as well. This could be the party’s ultimate test.
