While hugely popular with his base, President Trump is a “unique” politician who is unlikely to have a lasting impact on the Republican Party, according to former GOP Chairman and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.
“I think his is a unique brand. I think post-Trump, the party basically returns to its traditional role and a traditional platform,” said Priebus during a chat last week with students at Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.
“He’s very unique, he owns it and he does it and he does get away with a lot,” he added.
Coverage of our event with @Reince from @thehoya:
Priebus Defends Trump’s Unregimented Leadership Style https://t.co/yjcdC6uA90
— Georgetown Politics (@GUPolitics) April 13, 2018
In his year and a half, Trump has crashed traditional GOP policies on trade, international relations, and spending. But Priebus said that Trump has also restored the party’s ties to blue-collar workers.
“President Trump has been very good for the party in a sense of being a party that’s returned to the idea of that the American worker is worth fighting for. That we’re not about Wall Street,” said Priebus.
He also warned against future politicians trying to mimic Trump. “The copy-cat person is going to fail miserably,” he said, and suggested that the next successful Trump-like candidate is decades away.
“It will be like a different generation where someone will come along in 30 years and someone will say, ‘A lot of things that person says or does reminds me of what Trump did 30 years ago,’” he added.
