It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump

by Stuart Stevens

Writing this in May 2021, it’s clear that my dark conclusion about the party was wrong. I was overly optimistic. As honestly as I had tried to confront the reality of the party that I had helped win so many elections, I never would have thought that the events of the post–2020 election were possible. Had you asked me on November 2, 2020, if Republican senators and members of Congress would accept a Biden victory if he won by over eight million popular votes and north of three hundred Electoral College votes, I would have said of course they would. They wouldn’t like it, but they would not challenge a peaceful transition of power. Had you asked me on January 5, 2021, if it was possible that the United States Capitol would be attacked and breached by a group of domestic terrorists attempting to overthrow the government of the United States, I’d have called it paranoid and impossible.