Boehner: ‘There is no Republican party. There’s a Trump party’

Former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday said the Republican Party has been completely taken over by President Trump.

In an interview following his address at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan, the former House Speaker accused his fellow Republicans of abandoning their political ideals for those professed by Trump.

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“There is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party. The Republican Party is kinda taking a nap somewhere,” Boehner said.

In the interview, Boehner added that Trump was clearly the “most unusual” president the country has ever had.

“It’s too divided,” Boehner said of the Trump administration, explaining why he did not want to return to Congress.

“The left and right are gnawing at each other and the media is throwing gasoline on this fire every day,” he added.

“[Lawmakers] aren’t very happy,” the former speaker continued. “That’s why you see this record number of retirements. People just — it’s not fun.”

Boehner, who retired in 2015 before Trump was elected, was succeeded by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who has announced his own impending exit from Congress at the end of his term.

The two men have clashed publicly with Trump in the past, with Boehner, in particular, leveling harsh criticism against his former party since leaving office.

In April, it was reported that Boehner would re-enter the national stage to campaign for House GOP candidates as the Republican Party seeks to preserve the majority Boehner took control over in 2010.

Despite his personal issues with Trump, Boehner says the actual policies pursued by the administration, including the GOP tax plan which passed in December, are positive developments.

“If you peel away the noise and the tweets, the things that he’s doing are really good things,” Boehner said.

He added that the GOP Congress would be successful if it could seek bipartisan compromise with Democrats, who now find themselves in the minority in all three branches of government.

“Our constitution minimizes great swings in the movement of our government by design. So you learn you’ve got to stay at it, stay at it, stay at it. You also need good people to work with,” Boehner said.

“Big things happen and last when the fingerprints of both parties are on them,” he added.

The policy conference will wrap up on Friday. It is a four-day event that focuses on business in Michigan.