In this episode, Ryan is joined by political analyst and Wake Up to Politics author Gabe Fleisher to break down the hard data behind Republican loyalty to Donald Trump. Drawing on an original analysis of nearly 500 Republicans who have served in Congress since 2017, Fleisher explains which lawmakers broke with Trump on key votes—and why most of them are no longer in office.
The conversation explores impeachment votes, national emergencies, tariffs, war powers, and major legislative battles to reveal how the Republican Party has evolved over two Trump terms. Ryan and Gabe dig into the split between ideological purists and pragmatic moderates, the role of competitive swing districts, and why figures like Susan Collins, Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, and Brian Fitzpatrick land on opposite ends of the spectrum.
They also examine what this data says about the post-Trump GOP: whether the party is becoming more ideologically consistent or simply more Trump-aligned—and what that means as Trump’s influence eventually recedes. A must-listen for anyone who wants to understand how power, loyalty, and numbers are reshaping the Republican Party from the inside.
Check out Gabe's Substack HERE
Follow Clay & Buck on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuck
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
