The Republican Party once tried to wash Donald Trump off like tear gas. In the days after 6 January 2021, senior Republicans queued up to say the quiet thing out loud. Kevin McCarthy, then House Minority Leader, admitted that the president “bears responsibility” for the mob that stormed Congress. Mitch McConnell went further and said there was “no question, none” that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for provoking the events of that day and guilty of a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.” For a brief, trembling moment, it looked as if the party had decided to choose constitutional memory over cult loyalty. There was talk of a post-Trump Republican reboot, the donor class flirted with other names, and the commentariat rehearsed phrases like “turning the page” and “moving on.

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