A look at Trump's grip on the GOP as his critics are ousted in primaries

Amna Nawaz:

President Trump's grip on the Republican Party was on display in high-profile primaries across the country last night, with several Trump critics losing after the president targeted their campaigns.

In Kentucky, Congressman Thomas Massie lost his bid for reelection by nearly 10 points to Ed Gallrein. That's former Navy SEAL backed by the president. Massie drew the ire of Mr. Trump and his allies for his opposition to the war in Iran and leading efforts to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY):

We weren't really running against Ed Gallrein. We weren't running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in.

(Cheering)

Amna Nawaz:

Meanwhile, in Georgia, secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, a key opponent of the president's attempts to overturn election results in the state, lost in the primary for governor.

And two Republican candidates for Senate are heading to a run-off, setting up another closely watched test of the party's direction under Trump.

Joining me now to discuss last night's results is Melik Abdul. He's a Republican strategist and media consultant. He served as a Black Americans for Trump Coalition leader during the president's 2024 campaign, and he started his career in congressional affairs during the George W. Bush administration.

Welcome. Thanks for being here.

Melik Abdul, Republican Strategist:

Thanks for having me.

Amna Nawaz:

Let's start in Kentucky, Thomas Massie's primary loss there after President Trump called him yesterday the worst congressman in the history of our country.

The race was a key test for the president's hold on the party. What did it tell you?

Melik Abdul:

Well, it was a big question, because what happened in Indiana was a bit different than what happened in Louisiana with Cassidy. Cassidy always had the vote for impeachment hanging over his head. So we were really looking to see whether or not you have a race where Thomas Massie is extremely popular. What would that mean?

And it's hard to now not argue that Donald Trump has complete control over the political apparatus of the Republican Party. The question is, what does that mean for midterms, when Republicans actually need independents to vote for them?

Amna Nawaz:

The question also is what happens in Texas, right? We talked a little bit about the president now endorsing the attorney general there. That's Ken Paxton. He's challenging the incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who served in the Senate for over two decades. The run-off is on Tuesday.

I think it's fair to say Paxton has political baggage, right? There's concerns about his electability. He's had professional and personal scandals. Is there concern the president is prioritizing loyalty over electability?

Melik Abdul:

Absolutely.

And I think that for, like, a Cassidy or even Massie, for that case, you could argue the loyalty question. But the loyalty question is really not there with Cornyn. Cornyn has voted for Donald Trump overwhelmingly. He voted to confirm all of his nominees. So he's a little different there.

I think that the Cornyn race, what's happening in Texas, this is more of an appeal to MAGA,because MAGA was saying all along over and over again, you heard many people telling Donald Trump, we do not want Cornyn. So I think it seems as if that this was more of a gift for MAGA more so than the Republicans themselves, because they are not happy, because now we're having to invest more money in a state like Texas, as opposed to Georgia or even Maine, for that matter.

Amna Nawaz:

Yes.

Well, sticking in Texas for a moment, is it also a gift to Democrats? I mean, they are eager to run against Ken Paxton. Are Republicans now imperiling their chance there to beat the Democratic nominee, James Talarico?

Melik Abdul:

I think you said something about Paxton having some challenges. That's an understatement.

I have said over and over again that Talarico is a more palatable, more likable candidate than Beto O'Rourke. Beto O'Rourke actually lost to Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points. If Talarico -- if Paxton ends up winning, there is a possibility that Texas ends up in play.

I know we have said this over and over again when it comes to Texas, but it is a real possibility.

Amna Nawaz:

I do want to ask you what you mentioned now, because this does mean that the NRSC has to spend probably more money in Texas than they would like to spend, money they'd rather be spending in a place like Georgia.

You have two Republicans there heading to a run-off. That's representative Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley. There's another intraparty fight looming here, right?

Melik Abdul:

Yes.

Amna Nawaz:

How much does this hurt their chances of beating Jon Ossoff and flipping Georgia?

Melik Abdul:

I think that, for me -- and I know many people, we would love to say that we have a chance in Georgia. I honestly believe -- and you listen to many people in Georgia.

Once Brian Kemp, Governor Brian Kemp decided not to run, we kind of wrote Georgia off. Yes, we hope that we could win, but I don't see us really beating Jon Ossoff. But if Brian Kemp had run, he would have beat him.

Amna Nawaz:

You talked a little bit about Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, lost in his primary this weekend. This is a man who voted to convict President Trump in his impeachment trial back in 2021, then spent years, it seems, like trying to get back into Trump's good graces.

What does all of that tell you about room in the Republican Party right now to criticize the president, to disagree with him at all?

Melik Abdul:

I think that you already had many people who were really kind of hesitant to criticize Donald Trump, very apprehensive. And we're seeing now that Donald Trump is able to wield that power and essentially make sure that you don't have another congressional career.

I think that we should wait to see what happens after midterms. If past is prologue and we end up losing, Republicans end up losing the House, you may see more Republican started to buck Donald Trump, because, for one, he will be a lame-duck president at that point.

So you may see more if we end up losing the midterms. I think that, if we don't, though, you will see party-line loyalty for Donald Trump, with the exception of our senators like Cassidy and others who are leaving the Senate. And we saw what happened with that Iran vote where Cassidy flipped over.

Amna Nawaz:

He did. He switched his vote on the Iran War Powers Act. It's also not dissimilar to what we saw from Senator Thom Tillis, right, after announcing his retirement has become more outspoken.

So I hear you saying basically until we know what happens in the midterms, the only people who are going to speak out against the president for within his own party are people on their way out of the party. Is that right?

Melik Abdul:

That's a very fair assessment. And we have seen what Donald Trump has been able to do with pouring money -- pouring money into the races, even in the Indiana race. That was a state-level race.

Donald Trump jumped in there. They were outspent and they weren't able to actually win that race. I think that you're going to see a lot of people still apprehensive, but really waiting. And I'm hearing from Republicans all around, we're waiting to turn the page from Donald Trump. It's just a matter of timing when that happens.

Amna Nawaz:

We will wait and we will see.

Melik Abdul, thank you so much for being here.

Melik Abdul:

Thanks for having me.