Matthew Continetti: “After weeks of chaos, the House Republicans have settled on the unknown Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The well-liked Johnson is thoroughly in line with nationalist-populist Republicans such as Matt Gaetz, who engineered McCarthy’s fall. The episode was another sign that the GOP is no longer Ronald Reagan’s party.
It is Donald Trump’s.”“Since Reagan left office 35 years ago, the GOP has defined itself negatively. The coalition comes together not based on an affirmative program but in protest over someone else’s. The party’s greatest moments have been acts of rebuke.”