Trump drama divides GOP, muddling message

Yet much of the focus all week was on the battling within the GOP — between House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking member of his leadership team, and between former President Trump and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. “I don’t think it’s helpful,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an advisor to McConnell. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, called keeping GOP infighting from overshadowing more unifying messaging “our daily challenge.” “We all have our crosses to bear and we’re trying to make sure that Republicans stay unified and instead of fighting each other, work on trying to make sure that we’re articulating a vision for the country that’s built around Republican principles and not a massive big government and high taxes policies,” he said.