Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

John Boehner Just Said What We're All Thinking About the Republican Party in the Era of Trump

John Boehner Just Said What We're All Thinking About the Republican Party in the Era of Trump
John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, gives a farewell speech from the House floor at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, October 29, 2015. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Accurate.

Former GOP House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) believes President Donald Trump has taken over the Republican Party––and not for the better. Instead, he called out his former colleagues for what can only be described as complacency.

There is no Republican Party. There's a Trump party. The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere," he said at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan.


Boehner admitted that the president's off-the-cuff style doesn't mesh with his own––the president's behavior "is not quite my style," he quipped––and he says that Trump, a man who has made his name synonymous with the repudiation of long-established presidential and constitutional norms, is "clearly the most unusual person we've elected as President."

Describing his relationship with Trump, Boehner recalled that Trump "was one of my supporters, when I was Speaker" and said that while the two of them used to play golf together, he never envisioned seeing Trump holding the executive office.

Boehner also shared his belief that Trump told his wife, First Lady Melania, that he would not win the 2016 presidential election.

"I think Donald Trump promised Melania that he would not win. She didn’t have to worry about ever living in the White House. It’s probably why she doesn't look real happy every day. But, well, maybe one reason," he said.

But in the end, Boehner is very much a Republican, and his comments certainly reflected that.

"But if you can peel away the noise, and the tweets and all that, which is virtually impossible to do, but if you peel all this away, from a Republican standpoint, the things that he's doing, by and large, are really good things," he said, citing the Trump administration's deregulation and progress on negotiations with North Korea.

Boehner's remarks were met with some criticism. Dave Levinthal, a senior political reporter for the Center of Public Integrity, notes that despite his comments about the Republican Party, Boehner was actively fundraising for the GOP several days ago.

One social media user urged Boehner to take ownership of his party's actions.

"You people have been cultivating this garbage in a field of racism and xenophobia for decades."

Boehner has also been far more critical of President Trump in the past, tellingVanity Fair in October 2017 that "Trump’s not a Republican. He’s not a Democrat. He’s a populist. He doesn’t have an ideological bone in his body.”

Boehner's appearance in Michigan has largely been well received.

The veteran politician also reflected on his career, crediting much of his success to growing up as a member of a large family.

“I grew up in a big family (eight brothers and three sisters with a father who owned a bar) and we had to get along with one another," he said. "And I learned a couple of lessons. You have to learn to deal with every jackass who comes through the door … and the art of being able to disagree without being disagreeable.”

Boehner, who abruptly resigned from office in 2015 amid pressures from the GOP's hardline members who threatened a government shutdown over a measure that would have provided federal funding to Planned Parenthood, further recalled the reactions in Washington following his resignation––namely from former President Barack Obama.

The "second call I got was from President Obama," Boehner remembered. "And he said ‘Boehner you can’t do this... Boehner, man I’m going to miss you’ and I said 'Mr. President, yes you are.'”

Since leaving office, Boehner has garnered headlines for reversing his stance on marijuana legislation, joining the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, an investment company in the cannabis industry.

“You can see where this is going. Over the next five or ten years, this will be available all over the country," Boehner remarked.

The White House has not commented on Boehner's statements.

More from People/donald-trump

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less