Jonathan Martin: Trump ‘Cares More About His Own Clout Within the Party than He Does the Fortunes of His Party’

EXCERPT:

MARTIN: "I think he cares more about his own clout within the party than he does the fortunes of his party in the medium- to long-term. There’s no question about it. Well, the piece that I wrote was about what is immediately ahead of us, which is in April and May, a series of elections, mostly primaries, in which Donald Trump has capital on the line. I think it’s worth stepping back, as we did earlier this morning on Pam Bondi, which is extraordinary in its own right, to make your Justice Department a tool for political revenge. It’s also remarkable, Willie, that you have a sitting president who is spending time and capital, both literal capital and certainly his time, trying to oust incumbent members of his own party, whether it’s Senator Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, whether it’s Thomas Massie in Kentucky, the House member, or whether it’s, yes, Indiana state senators who dared to not redraw their House districts mid-decade. Those races are all coming up in May. That’s where his focus is in the short-term politically, it’s not how do we mitigate otherwise tough midterm, Willie. This is going to be tough. You know, the economy, the challenge of Iran and gas prices. Every incumbent president faces this challenge in their first midterm. No, he’s focused on 'How do I enact purity in my party when it comes to the only doctrine that matters, which is loyalty to me?'”