Democrats are reliving the GOP’s 2012 nightmare. A Trump-style rebellion is needed

Published August 18, 2025 8:00am ET



It’s easy to forget that President Donald Trump‘s rise began with an assault on fellow Republicans, not Democrats.

Of course, Trump made waves by questioning former President Barack Obama’s claim to birthright citizenship in 2011. But he didn’t become a true political force until he savaged low energy Jeb Bush (Jeb!), Little Marco Rubio, and the rest of the Republican establishment in the 2016 primaries. That’s when America realized something new was happening. 

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