The Durable Base
By Nick Anderson
Fri, Feb 06, 2026 • 8:53 PM
Donald Trump’s power rests on the unwavering loyalty of the Republican base. No matter how inflammatory his words or how troubling his actions, they remain steadfast. Any Republican who dares to defy him is either defeated in a primary or decides it’s safer to step aside before facing one. That dynamic has stripped away any meaningful check within his own party. The guardrails don’t fail because they’re weak. They fail because the base demands it of the party, and the party holds all the levers of power in Washington D.C. The video that Trump posted depicting the Obamas as apes is a new low, but I seriously doubt it will hurt him in the Republican base. Nothing else has.
