Republican Infighting Could Cost Party in Upcoming Elections, CPAC Chair Warns

Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Chair Matt Schlapp issued a warning to Republicans on Monday: their infighting may come at a cost.

Schlapp spoke following Turning Point USA’s annual conference in Phoenix, where speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, Steve Bannon, and Tucker Carlson took shots at each other.

“We have this situation where [President] Donald Trump has knit together these very interesting political coalitions,” Schlapp said. “This is his second term, and he’s already a year into that second term. And naturally, people are beginning to say, ‘OK, who’s the next leader?'” Schlapp added.

“In that process, you know, some of these fissures are exposed,” Schlapp continued. “Schlapp said much of the animosity on display is between famous people fighting for an audience and not the grassroots populists and conservatives.”

“For the Republicans, the [midterm] elections are less than 11 months away,” Schlapp said. “If we all spend all of our time fighting each other, we’re just going to hand it over to the socialists and the Marxists.”

Schlapp noted that a large coalition like the MAGA movement is prone to disagreements but remains united in supporting Trump’s agenda. “Overall, these people are for Trump,” Schlapp said. “They’re for Trump’s agenda.”

“I think we can keep this together for a number of years and have even more victories,” Schlapp added. “It’s OK to have disagreements.”

The CPAC chair emphasized that he draws the line at accepting antisemites and bigots into the coalition but stressed everyone should work toward supporting Trump. “He is a transformational leader,” Schlapp said. “He’s doing things we’ve always wanted to have happen.”

“No one had the guts to do it. We got to support him,” Schlapp added. “Hopefully, the bloodletting will be over soon, and we got to keep our eyes on the prize.”

Schlapp stated Republicans must keep their eye on expanding their House majority. “If we fight each other, the communists are going to defeat us in less than 11 months,” Schlapp said.

“It’s like letting some of the dirty laundry in the family,” Schlapp continued. “I have five daughters. I’m used to this. We can all agree on one thing, I promise.”