Former Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo warned this weekend that a recent move by Donald Trump could cause political headaches for congressional Republicans heading into the next election cycle.
Appearing on MSNBC, the ex-Florida lawmaker discussed Trump’s controversial “crypto dinner” and the message it sends to both voters and fellow party members. Curbelo made it clear that he believes the optics of the event are damaging.
“Obviously it doesn’t send a good message,” he said in response to host Alex Witt’s question. “It kind of sends a message of lawlessness,” Curbelo stressed that the greater danger for Republicans isn’t legal, but political. “The big risk… is not legal for the Trump administration, but more political,” he said.
He elaborated on how Democrats may seize the opportunity to reinforce a narrative that has been brewing since Trump first took office. “Democrats have been trying to build this narrative since the beginning of the administration, when Trump was building his cabinet, that this is a government formed by billionaires, and it’s for wealthy people, and it’s for people who want to enrich themselves,” Curbelo explained.
“If that narrative gains traction, then you could see Republicans not Trump, because he won’t be on the ballot anymore—but you could see congressional Republicans pay a price for all of this in next year’s elections,” he added. Witt then pressed Curbelo on what might happen as Trump inevitably becomes more of a “lame duck” leader, asking whether Republicans might begin to publicly break from him.
“I think you’ll hear some Republicans raise objections, concerns ahead of the ’26 midterms, especially if they are in closely contested races,” Curbelo responded. “We know that in 2018, the first Trump midterm, Republicans lost.” He pointed out that many House Republicans are now looking back on that election cycle as a warning and are preparing strategies to avoid a similar outcome.
“And then as Trump moves and becomes more and more of a lame duck, sure, you’ll see more and more Republicans creating some distance and trying to distinguish themselves,” Curbelo said. “But we’ll have to wait a little bit of time for that.”
The former congressman’s remarks reflect a growing unease within parts of the GOP about how closely aligning with Trump may affect their future electoral prospects, particularly in swing districts where moderate voters could be turned off by perceived elitism or impropriety.
- Boxing Body Under Fire After Calling Out Olympian for Gender Test
- Trump Admin Promises Midnight Deportation After Terror Attack, Even Family May Be Kicked Out Without Trial
- Kristin Cavallari Calls Cutting Father Out of Life the ‘Best Decision’ After Incident with Children
- Prince Harry announced a major decision and left senior royal ‘horrified’
- Meghan Markle recently opened up about the tough time she went through during her pregnancies