Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The upside down world we are in

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup is a long-running series published every morning that collects essential political discussion and analysis around the internet.

Aaron Rupar/”Public Notice” on Substack:

Charlie Sykes on the GOP's Trump cult

"In the minds of MAGA world, he has never lost. There have been no defeats."

A lot of pixels have been spilled, including in this newsletter, about what will happen if Trump wins later this year. But less attention has been paid to what comes next for the GOP if he loses.

Would another presidential loss and fourth straight disappointing election cycle for Republicans persuade them to finally move past MAGA? Hah! That ain’t happening. In fact, as Charlie Sykes told us, it’s not at all beyond the realm of possibility that Trump winds up being the GOP’s presidential nominee again in 2028.

“In many ways, Republicans are being held hostage by their own voters,” Sykes said. “The party is afraid of its own supporters. That Republican base wants the kind of Trumpist anger that he continues to stoke.”