The party must choose between focusing on a single leader or embracing a broader set of conservative principles that can appeal beyond its most conservative strongholds, Rina Shah, a Republican strategist, told the BBC.
Many conservatives, including the “Never Trump” faction that opposed his initial campaign, are advocating a return to the party’s pre‑Trump roots, citing the historic election losses across the nation.
Reverting to a pre‑Trump era will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Over the past decade, the party has undergone a sweeping transformation. Most Republicans have moved rightward on domestic issues such as immigration and have abandoned the interventionist foreign policy of the George W. Bush era that resulted in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Congress, the moderate establishment wing that opposed Trump from the outset has largely vanished, supplanted by conservative Trump supporters who echo his nativist and populist rhetoric.
The trend persisted this year, with incumbent Republicans such as Texas Senator John Cornyn and Maine Senator Susan Collins—both of whom had clashed with Trump—being defeated.
Three days after the election, Trump appointed Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff, succeeding Susie Wiles.
The appointment signals that Trump intends to maintain his current policies and tone throughout the remainder of his term. Miller, a longtime Trump aide who served as chief domestic policy adviser, is known for his hardline immigration stance.
