Former Rep. Bob Good, who once chaired the House Freedom Caucus, says the Republican Party no longer meets any standard of conservatism, though he insists Democrats are still the worse option for voters. Good, who lost a 2024 GOP primary in Virginia to a challenger backed by President Donald Trump, told Fox News Digital that Republicans have behaved like "Democrat-lite" for nearly two years.
Republicans have controlled both chambers of Congress throughout Trump's second term, but Good argues they have "massively squandered the opportunity" given to them by voters. He pointed to the national debt reaching $40 trillion, new entitlement programs such as Trump accounts, and government taking ownership stakes in private companies. He also said the party has failed to make the case for a war that has lasted more than six months, calling the debt crisis the real emergency facing the country.
Good said Trump does not address the debt issue "in a serious way," suggesting the president suspects spending cuts are unpopular and wants to remain popular. The former congressman argued that Republicans should have used their first year in power to drastically cut spending, shrink government, and implement reforms before the election year arrived. He believes voters would have rewarded that approach with a midterm victory.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall dismissed Good's criticism, saying Trump and Republicans are delivering "America First results every day" and that no one is interested in advice from a "certified loser." White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump received a mandate to break with Washington's consensus orthodoxy and is implementing free market policies such as deregulation and tax cuts while reversing what he called "America Last" policies from the Biden era.
Good identified voter turnout as the GOP's primary challenge in the midterms, saying Republicans are running on a message of not being "as bad as Democrats," which he called uninspiring. He expressed hope that redistricting and the unpopularity of Democratic policies could still help the party perform well.
Despite his criticisms, Good said "the Democrats are certainly worse." He credited Trump with securing the border, cutting regulations and taxes, and targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology in the federal government and education. "Democrats would do none of those things," he said, adding that in every area where Republicans have been weak or failed to follow through, Democrats would be even worse.