Bacon thinks there will be ‘debate’ about MAGA future if GOP does poorly in midterms

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Sunday said he thinks the Republican Party will “debate” the future of the MAGA movement should the GOP fare poorly in Tuesday’s elections.

When asked by Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” if an unsatisfactory midterm performance might signal the “beginning of the end for the MAGA movement,” Bacon responded, “I do think there will be a debate in the party, and I think we need it.”

“I support the long-held Ronald Reagan principles,” the Nebraska lawmaker continued, pointing to values like “free trade, free markets, economic freedom, standing up to bullies like Russia and China.”

“I think the Republican Party, I think America yearns for those principles. And I believe [President Trump], in many of these cases, or many of the specifics here, has backed away from those principles. And I surely would like to see a debate, and I know I want to be a part of it,” he added.

Bacon has been critical of the president’s messaging on the war in Iran, and in early September showed support for Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-N.C.) push to oust Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In an October interview with Tapper, he called Trump’s recent handling of the Russia-Ukraine war “ disgraceful .”

With the midterms just days away, recent polling has the Republicans trailing Democrats.

The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ forecasts that Democrats have an 83 percent chance of taking the House and a 62 percent chance of winning the Senate.