Gov. Doug Ducey is being eaten alive by his own party, thanks to Trump. That’s scary

Opinion: Donald Trump set his Republican wolves on Gov. Doug Ducey for crossing him. That he still wields that kind of power is worrisome.

President President Donald J. Trump elbow bumps Ariz. Gov. Doug Ducey during a Make America Great Again Rally in Tucson, Ariz. Oct. 19, 2020.

 (Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

President Trump knows he’s toast. But he’s brilliant at getting a firm grip on America’s psyche to squeeze every penny out of his most faithful fans.

You’ve got to give it to the guy. He’s got enough people dangerously spellbound by his election-fraud ploy to collect $150 million to $170 million in less than month so he can stay at the center of American politics.

Through a flood of emails since Election Day, Trump keeps insisting that he won reelection and needs money to keep fighting “the most corrupt” electoral process – one that stole the election from him.

But now we know that most of the money isn’t going to fight his baseless claim of election fraud. In fact, 75% of every contribution is going to a new political action committee, while the other 25% is going to the Republican National Committee, according to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Trump knows many believe his lies

Trump’s fundraising frenzy actually makes sense. It cost lots of money to have a bunch of clowns like his lawyer Rudy Giuliani on the payroll to keep feeding Americans lies that haven’t stood a chance in court.

The president isn’t stupid. He knows he is throwing out baseless claims, but he also knows that enough Americans are eating up his lies to keep him as a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Just watch what happened when he chewed out even faithful disciples such as Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

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Trump unloaded on Ducey on Monday, saying he “betrayed the people of Arizona” by certifying the election results, officially assigning the state’s 11 electoral votes to Democrat Joe Biden.    

“Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office?” Trump asked during a call to his clowns who held a public spectacle in downtown Phoenix over baseless election fraud claims. “Especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now.”

What happened next to Ducey is akin to a king throwing a loyal subject to the wolves. The governor huffed and puffed that he was merely following the law when he certified a lawful election.

“I’ve been pretty outspoken about Arizona’s election system, and bragged about it quite a bit, including in the Oval Office. And for good reason,” Ducey said in a series of tweets after Trump’s attacks.

The reaction from the GOP is telling

No matter the explanation. The Republican wolves led by Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward descended upon Ducey.

“#STHU” (Shut The Hell Up), came Ward’s reply. “#ElectionIntegrity is missing in Arizona. Period.”

Scroll through Twitter feeds and you’ll see that Ward’s was among the nicer responses to Ducey. And though the governor’s series of tweets drew more than 27,000 likes, only a few Arizona leaders – mainly Republican Cindy McCain and Regent Fred DuVal, a Democrat – publicly came out to defend him.

Leaving the likes of Ducey out to dry is a reflection of Trump’s power – not the power to bend the courts to hand over the election to him just because he says so, but the influence he still commands with so many Americans.

We knew the president wouldn’t go quietly, but the powerful grip he still commands is worrisome.

Yes, our institutions are holding up, but they are only as solid as the public’s trust – and evidently, too many are still bent on believing Trump’s lies to give him money so he can keep dragging America through his twisted fantasies.  

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

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