@usatodayopinion: “Most of the never-Trumpers who spoke out in 2016 and for years after weren’t Democrats or liberals. They were old-fashioned conservatives and proud of it," writes former USA TODAY deputy Opinion editor Tim Swarens. "But they were ridiculed as RINOs (Republicans in name only) by the MAGA faithful and sometimes even directly insulted by the president himself. Most old-style Republicans fell in line, even as they cringed behind the scenes at Trump’s antics. "Establishment Republicans – think of them as the party’s mainstream when Bush was president and John McCain and Mitt Romney were the presidential nominees in 2008 and 2012 – may have gone silent, but they haven’t gone away. And they gain new allies every day that the war with Iran drags on and gas prices hover above $4 a gallon." 🔗 Read the full column at the link in bio 📸: Nathan Howard/Reuters

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Tuesday 06 October 2026 12:15:00 GMT