Senator Banks,
We have reached an even darker moment: An attempt to force a wartime leader and ally to grovel on American television just to satisfy one man’s broken ego and personal grudges.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spent the past three years watching his people be butchered, his cities leveled, his country fighting for survival against a ruthless dictator who wants to erase them from the map. Ukraine is not just fighting for itself- it is fighting for the principles of democracy, sovereignty, and the rule of law. Yet when Zelenskyy came to America to ask for help, Trump and his allies, including yourself, acted as if he was some kind of political nuisance.
Instead of recognizing the moral and strategic imperative of supporting Ukraine, you and other so-called conservative leaders have treated this war like a partisan game, as if the defense of a sovereign democracy against Russian aggression is some inconvenient distraction rather than a critical American interest.
Senator Banks, I am disheartened to see you blindly stand by President Trump's remarks and more saddened to see Vice President Vance's behavior. Though I believe that I understand what President Trump was trying to say- that should have been a closed-door discussion and no- it was not Zelenskyy's fault.... With that, I ask you Senator, what would Reagan have done?
Would he have mocked the leader of a country standing against Russian tyranny? Would he have demanded that a foreign leader beg for support on live television just to stroke a president’s fragile ego? Would he have turned his back on an ally fighting for freedom?
I woke up- it’s possible. I voted for Trump. Twice. I believed in what the Republican Party used to stand for: fiscal responsibility, small government, personal liberty, and national strength. I believed that we, as conservatives, were the party of American exceptionalism, of law and order, of moral clarity on the world stage.
But what does the Republican Party stand for now?
We were supposed to be the party of limited government, yet we watched Trump spend recklessly, balloon the deficit, and call for more executive power. We were supposed to be the party of law and order, yet we cheered as he attacked judges, law enforcement, and even the Constitution itself. We were supposed to be the party of national strength, yet we now excuse his praise for Putin and his disdain for NATO, our strongest defense against Russian aggression.
How did we get here?
How did the party of Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan become a party that abandons our allies, embraces authoritarianism, and worships a man who puts his personal interests above the country?
You have positioned yourself as a conservative leader, but I have to ask: what, exactly, are you conserving?
It’s not fiscal responsibility- Trump’s tax cuts weren’t paired with spending reductions, and the debt exploded. It’s not national security- he praises Putin, undermines NATO, and has turned Ukraine into a political pawn rather than an ally fighting for its survival. It’s not the Constitution- he tried to overturn an election, attacked the judicial system, and called for the “termination” of constitutional rules when they didn’t serve his interests.
Roosevelt took on corporate corruption to keep the free market competitive. Eisenhower built America’s infrastructure and kept us strong against the Soviets. Reagan stood up to Russia and expanded economic opportunity. And yet, today’s so-called Republican leadership bows to a man who weakens our institutions, defends a dictator, and drags the party further into grievance and paranoia. That is not conservatism. That is not leadership. That is not America First. The truth is, the real RINOs aren’t the Republicans who reject Trump- the real RINOs are the MAGA loyalists who have abandoned conservative principles in favor of blind allegiance to one man.
Senator Banks, I ask you- where is your red line? If Trump’s attacks on our alliances, his praise for Putin, his disregard for law and order aren’t enough, or his outright attempts to neuter the co-equal branches of government... Then what is?
The Republican Party is dying under Trump’s grip, and you all are handing him the knife. When will you finally stand for America, its people, and its experiment? Or will the current Republican Party in history be filled with cowards who let it all burn?
I may be outspoken- One thing I can guarantee is that I and many other conservatives who still believe in the American Experiment, are waiting for your and many members of Congress to answer.
History is watching. You and your colleagues have a choice. You can stand for conservatism, for integrity, and for the Constitution- or you can continue down this path of submission to a movement that is anything but Republican, other than "In Name Only".
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