In Pella, Iowa—a town where Trump is widely supported—elderly residents organized a small protest against him, highlighting how even in deeply conservative areas, some residents feel compelled to voice opposition and challenge the pervasive political loyalty, despite the town's idyllic and orderly nature. The protest, though modest in size, symbolizes a broader struggle with political division and the desire for civic expression in a community that values niceness and conformity.
Former Trump officials, including Sarah Matthews, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Cassidy Hutchinson, are renouncing their support for Trump and considering voting for Biden in the next election, citing concerns about Trump's threat to democracy. They are part of a growing movement of anti-Trump Republicans who are speaking out against the former president and hoping to sway voters away from supporting him in the upcoming election.
Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, has emerged as a key voice in the anti-Trump resistance as she ramps up her attacks on Trump in her long-shot bid for the GOP nomination. Her campaign's playful ribbing and heightened anti-Trump tone have prompted comparisons to Liz Cheney, and while some Democrats and Never Trumpers cheer her on, others gripe that her rebukes of the former president are insufficiently harsh. Haley's more forceful tone against Trump has elevated her as a voice of the Trump opposition, leaving some to view her as their last, best chance to defeat him, even if she doesn't win her party's nomination.
Anti-Trump Republicans are finding hope in the resistance shown by significant portions of the Republican electorate in Iowa and New Hampshire, where polls and exit surveys revealed a refusal to vote for Trump in November. Despite Trump's victories in the early nominating contests, the anti-Trump movement sees positive signs and a discernible path to stopping him. While Trump's nomination seems inevitable, the focus has shifted to defeating him in the general election, with some voters expressing dissatisfaction with Trump and a willingness to support President Joe Biden over him. However, some Never Trumpers are already looking ahead to aiding down-ballot Republicans and reclaiming control of the party and the country.
