Idaho Dispatch

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Op-Ed: Fulcher Not ‘All In’ With Trump

By • November 27, 2022

Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher, who like many Republicans is wondering what happened in this year’s mid-term elections, says one thing seems clear.

“We need to move beyond the conflict associated with Donald Trump.”

That’s a profound statement coming from one of the few Republicans who objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election. And it might not get him a lot of fan mail in Idaho’s First District, where Trump is a popular figure. But Fulcher is not the only Republican casting doubts about Trump leading the party in 2024.

A few potential alternatives have surfaced, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Vice President Mike Pence, and the list will become much larger if support for Trump continues to wane. Fulcher is keeping options open, including backing Trump if no one else is getting traction. For now, he’ll see who joins the fray.

Fulcher is a big fan of Trump’s policies, but not his style. “A lot of people are not crazy about the drama,” Fulcher says.

It’s not all Trump’s doing. Presidents who lose elections, even hotly contested ones, usually fade from the spotlight soon after leaving office. But not Trump, who is a magnet for fire from Democrats, the media, and late-night comics. High-level investigations into his actions and activities, seemingly, will never end.

Reading Fulcher’s signal, that’s not what he wants to see in the party’s future. The congressman acknowledges that being stuck in the time warp of 2016, or 2020, won’t win elections down the line. Republicans, from Fulcher on down, know this mid-term election should have been a landslide for the GOP by historical proportions – with high gas prices, soaring inflation, a messy foreign policy and problems at the southern border. Overall, it was an embarrassment for Republicans, and it’s no wonder that politicos are pointing fingers at Trump. The election deniers on the GOP ballots were more focused on the “rigged” election of 2020, instead of the future. But Fulcher doesn’t entirely blame Trump for the losses.

“This might sound strange, but I think COVID really did culturally impact our society and we’re still in a COVID hangover,” Fulcher says. “With the shutdowns, and increasing the monetary flow, we have given people incentive not to work. I think there’s a hangover from that.”

Of course in politics – where winning is all that matters — it’s easier to blame one person. And Trump is such an inviting target.

It’s not all gloom and doom for Republicans. They did take control of the House, which brings Biden’s agenda to a screeching halt and gives the likes of Fulcher more clout. He’s in line for chairing a subcommittee on public lands.

However, as Fulcher cautions, don’t expect everything to run smoothly. With a slim majority, every vote in the Republican caucus counts – and keeping everyone in line won’t be easy. The conservative Freedom Caucus, of which Fulcher is a member, is among the in-house coalitions that will be drawing battlelines.

“Democrats are good at locking down votes, but it’s not that way with Republicans,” Fulcher says. “It will be sausage-making at its best. It will not be a pretty process, but the ingredients in this sausage will be better than what we’ve seen in the last four years. There will be blood in the hallways (politically speaking), but the process is worth it. We just have to remember who the enemy is – and it’s not each other.”

What ends up being accomplished remains to be seen, but don’t get your hopes high. For the next two years, we’ll have Republicans in control of the House, Democrats in control of the Senate, and a Democrat in the White House. It’s a formula for gridlock. But with Republicans straying from Trump, there will be lots of preening for the 2024 election cycle.

Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com

This Op-Ed was submitted by Chuck Malloy. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

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Tags: 2022 Election, 2024 Presidential Election, Congressman Russ Fulcher, Democrats, Donald Trump, Republicans

27 thoughts on “Op-Ed: Fulcher Not ‘All In’ With Trump

  1. So the Deep State which has fomented untold color revolutions and regime changes around the world and turned their trade craft inward, has brought us untold suffering and pandemic, fake foreign espionage scandals, Marxist race riots, stolen elections, and it’s Trump’s fault. We will be allowed to get past the drama, but only on their terms. Do we have a Republic or are we serfs? America needs to have a hard conversation.

    1. Agree with everything you said here, Brian! I am a big Trump supporter and give him 100% support. How dare people critique his “style”………how would your style be if you were attacked non-stop while doing everything possible to save America! God bless Donald J. Trump!

      1. I also 100% support Trump. He may not come in a pretty package with a bow on top but he says what needs to be said and he does what needs to be done. All this while being attacked (and raided) by the entire establishment on both sides non stop. Not many could withstand what he has endured to date. He fights for “We the People.” As far as I’m concerned Fulcher can go pound sand. I’m sick of wishy-washy, flipper- flopper politicians. And when Trump wins again for the 3rd time and is reinstated as our legal and rightful winner and President, suddenly Russ will be his supporter again. I see you Fulcher and raise you a backbone.

  2. So, like a favorite, recurring rash, once again Malloy re-appears to toss out more of his progressive leftist propaganda. Malloy’s suggestion that “even Fulcher doesn’t like Trump, so how can you” is nothing more than a foil on his part. Malloy wants nothing more in the whole world than to prevent the re-election of Trump. (Although I think Malloy was seriously let down when he heard Newsom – his dream candidate – wouldn’t challenge Biden for the Dem nomination). Expect a LOT more of this subtle anti-Trump poison from Malloy.

  3. I was 2 things. A trump supporter and a Fulcher Supporter. I am only 1 thing now, a Fulcher supporter. I’m tired of Trumps childish junk. We need a win and a adult ! Not a whiner and a crutch.

    1. We are not voting for Trump’s antics, but what he DOES FOR THE PEOPLE. Don’t lose sight of that. For his antics, he gets an F, but for his pragmatism and support for a better America for all of us, he deserves an A+.

      Please– separate your FEELINGS about the man from your WISDOM about which candidate will do more for you, me, and fpr the America that we love.

    2. If this is true I am no longer a Fulcher supporter, but I take it with a grain of salt at this point because the article doesn’t pass the sniff test.. Trump disappointed in several things but he is the only one that is likely able to get us out of this without wide spread bloodshed.

    3. Surely you jest………………………….. Step in Trump’s shoes for just 5 minutes and you’d bail on our nation! Trump is for We The People!

  4. I’m wondering if Mallory works for NYT…Fulcher is right, Trump has great policies however his theatrics are old and tiresome, the back-stabbing RINO Pence can jump off a cliff, DeSantis appears the only decent choice and he hasn’t even said he’s running…

  5. If DeSantis decides to run, it will confirm that he is part of the deep state that thwarted Trump from his attempts to drain the swamp. The “divisive-ness” came from the Uniparty/deep state/media complex whose power was threatened by the outsider. But it doesn’t matter who runs– since nothing was done about election fraud in 2020, don’t expect a GOP or GOPe victory in 2024.

  6. He’s abandoning Trump, which may be political suicide. The RINOs are all-in for DeSantis, as Paul Ryan tries to denounce Trump. BUT, you know what kind of “conservative” McConnel is, as well as Ryan and others– they are not what we want. The RINOs are part of the Uniparty that works for themselves and against us. Keep a close eye on Fulcher– he is more like a Democrat than he’d like you to know.

  7. No future national elections can be regarded as legitimate from this point forward. Until the fraud is fixed in the several states everything is already decided and no true outsider, or reformer, will ever win, only the anointed deep stater’s. Such a government can not be regarded as legitimate and appropriate actions must be taken.

  8. I was a luke-warm supporter of Fulcher from the get-go. As he descends into the swamp (like almost all do) my support weakens. Of course, he is not burning his bridges – he is maintaining his ability to jump to which ever side he thinks may be winning.

    Trump is a miracle, a life-saving rope sent to us in a last ditch effort to save our Republic. He has endured more investigations, more abuse, more threats to his wealth and freedom than any other politician in history – and still he stands strong. Truthfully, we as a nation don’t deserve him.

    I can read idiots like Malloy in the legacy media any day of the week – I am canceling my subscription.

    1. Perfectly said about Trump. People are getting brainwashed to think he is dragging us down, but he is the only one who can fix things. He has lost a lot personally too stand up for us. They are just scared of him and want him gone.

  9. I want to hear all this directly from Fulcher before I decide …..
    T-MAGA
    America’s
    JUNKYARD DAWG
    when she needs
    one the most

  10. The label “election denier” tells you all you need to know about the journalist. He just insulted all people of intelligence who question election results as if the system is magically legit and tamper proof. I don’t drink that kind of kool-aid.

  11. I’d like to hear what Fulcher has to say about this. It is easy to drive wedges to divide conservatives against each other, putting words into the mouths of opponents. The author is clearly not a conservative and likely has no love for Trump. More fake news media propaganda.

  12. Fulcher is a RINO. He’s got no spine like most sheep. Instead of taking a stand he want to wait and see what the sheep will do!!! I’m not voting for Trump because of his still. I will vote for TRUMP because he is willing to take on the corruption and the swamp!!!

  13. I am SOOO tired of President Trump being blamed for all the Republican losses! There was even more wide-open cheating and in-your-face fraud in 2022 than in 2020 because the process was not cleaned and repaired. PROVEN cheating but squashed investigations leave me frustrated with our country’s election boards and the failure of the entire electronic system to be trusted. Trump never pretended to be a smooth and polished politician but he accomplished so much good! Any of them work 4 years under constant personal attack without a paycheck? Yeah, right! But check the 2020 economic optimism and how our country was doing 2 years ago…how quickly and deeply we have fallen. Are you better off now under the Biden administration’s embarrassing continual shocking display of inneptitude, perversion and ignorance? Our young are confused, afraid of their own shadows and have little hope for the future. That’s not the America I was raised in…thankfully. I hope Rep. Fulcher does not agree with the way this article portrays him.

  14. How about laying the blame for the incredibly week mid term performance right where it belongs? The three Mc’s – McConnell, McCarthy, and McDaniels all supported the status quo RINOs and pulled funding in close, winnable races for liberty candidates. It is their fault we didn’t win the Senate and unless we rid the party of these feckless leaders we will not fair any better in 2024. Trump supporters must demand that the three McClowns leave the circus now!

  15. This is a pure attempt to divide MAGA from the GOP establishment, via making unsubstantiated interpretations about what Russ Fulcher might have said. RINOs hate MAGA voters and this transparent brickbat of an article is proof of it. Malloy et al hate most Idahoans and have sold out to the RINO agenda of working in the UniParty to demolish America. They spent decades shipping jobs to China and Mexico and other places in order to usher in our downfall.

  16. Look no further than McConnell and Ronna McDaniel as to why we didn’t have that red wave. On another note, a vote for McCarthy is a vote against DJT.

  17. Russ Fulcher needs to wake up. No matter who is selected to run for President, the Democrats will try to bury them with scandal. That’s just in their DNA. I just don’t think there are any scandals left to pin on Trump after the latest Mara Largo insanity, and tax bs, so maybe he would be a good choice now. De’Santis is great but prepare for a new batch of scandals. The REPUBLICANS are the big problem with their turn the other cheek policy. They did almost nothing to prevent voter fraud AGAIN. Look at what they did Arizona, nothing. The Arizona voters were robbed of votes. Electrical failures, broken printers, couldn’t print ballots, centralized voting centers where voters were told to go to another center of which none were at a reasonable distance. How many voters were lost there? I’m a little disappointed with Russ.

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