Never Trump Republicans are still issuing dire warnings. Is anyone listening?

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. (AP) — Republicans and former Republicans rallying just outside Washington this weekend have repeatedly warned that President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are tearing apart the fabric of American democracy.

One former congressman described the president’s party as “an authoritarian-embracing cult.” Trumpism is an “existential threat,” a prominent conservative writer has said. And a retired Army general, his voice shaking with emotion, held up post-Nazi Germany as a road map for the country’s post-Trump recovery.

It’s unclear how many people listened.

The main meeting room at the sixth annual Principles One summit, held Saturday and Sunday, was half empty. Approximately 750 chairs were set up in a room that could fit thousands of people, and most of them were empty. Not a single current Republican elected official attended the two-day program.

They’re what’s left of the Grand Old Party’s Never Trump movement, a coalition of Republicans, ex-Republicans and independents who came together to help Trump consolidate power. They remain largely political exiles; They’re less than comfortable among Democrats, but they are disgusted that the president has abandoned Republicans’ long-standing commitments to free trade and limited government.

John McDowell, 69, a lifelong Republican before Trump’s emergence, acknowledged that the shrinking group had almost “zero” political clout within his former party.

“It’s a fact. We’re losing good people,” said McDowell, a former Capitol Hill staffer and Republican county official from San Carlos, Calif. “The party is becoming more and more MAGA-affiliated.”

White House press secretary Abigail Jackson dismissed all criticism from what she called “a group of unstable politicians.”

“The only people who will pay attention to this event are the journalists who have to cover it,” he said.

Nearly everyone gathered at the hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, said they supported a Democratic victory in this fall’s midterm elections. One of the only Democrats there was Conor Lamb, a former congressman from Pennsylvania who lost his party’s primary to John Fetterman four years ago.

Despite the dire concerns, there was a slight air of optimism in the half-empty convention hall and quiet hotel corridors.

Many applauded the Supreme Court’s decision last week to strike down tariffs, the economic tool Trump has used without congressional approval in his attempt to force friends and foes around the world to bend to his will. Trump insisted he would impose a new round of taxes despite the decision.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of Trump’s former advisors, underlined recent times AP-NORC vote It shows that 1 in 4 Republicans nationwide disapprove of Trump’s job performance.

“It’s like any show that’s on TV for a long time; the ratings start to drop. And the ratings start to drop,” Christie said. “I’ll bet this room will be twice the size it is now by next February. Watch it after the midterms.”

Former MAGA fan Rich Logis, who wears a red “I quit MAGA hat”, hopes to see “an election revolt against MAGA” in the midterms.

“I think there is a change happening in our country right now,” he said. “It’s happening slowly.”

Logis was at a table outside the convention hall promoting support groups for friends and family of Trump loyalists. Nearby, someone was selling books on how to escape cults.

At the podium, former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh implored Trump’s critics not to underestimate the seriousness of the threat the president poses to the nation.

“He is everything our founders feared. Say it. Believe it,” said Walsh. He said his former party was “a cult that embraces authoritarianism” and was “a threat to everything I love.”

Retired Gen. Mark Hertling, who once commanded the U.S. Army’s European forces, said he was “left in the pocket” of allies who asked him whether “American institutions could ever be trusted again.”

“Our nation’s institutions have been shaken. Our alliances have been strained. Our credibility has been damaged. And our nation’s values ​​have been cast aside,” Hertling said. He suggested that the United States should look to rebuilding Germany after the defeat of Nazism if it hopes to repair the damage caused by Trump and his allies.

His voice cracking, he said the nation’s healing would be something people would have to earn for many years to come.

Bill Kristol, who worked for previous Republican administrations and helped found the Weekly Standard magazine, described Trump and his Republican supporters in Congress as an “existential threat” to the nation. But he was also optimistic about the upcoming midterm elections.

Kristol said Democrats “are almost certain to win the House,” “could probably win the Senate” and “have a good shot to win the presidency” in 2028.

Brittany Martinez, executive director of host organization Policies First, also tried to strike an optimistic tone, even after explaining the many reasons she couldn’t bear to continue her career as a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill.

“I hope Republicans continue to wake up,” he said. “I think these people exist. And I hope there are more of them.”