Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Although with lobbyists pulling funding, and the clear and present threat Trump presents to the Republican Party, you'd think they'd be only too happy to see him barred from running for office again.
I guess there's more at play there then we realise.
I think there are a lot of GOP who are terrified of Trump primarying them. They see the storming of the Capitol as a warning that “the Base” are Trump first Republican sencond. Those gun nut senators and congress members are scared shitless that any move now against trump will turn loose a shitstorm and see more Boeberts and Greenes running against them. They are trying to brush Trump into history and regain some sort of control over the cosplayers.
I’ve tried to see it from their perspective. There is an element of how Hitlerwas able to seize power at play. They were happy with Trump using his base to pack the courts and cut taxes, unfortunately, like Hindenburg and the Weimar elite discovered, putting Trump in charge has taken the lid off the sewer and populism is by nature popular with a large swathe of a population. (To begin with)
Trump offered the base a return to white supremacy with steady well paid jobs, low taxes, and freedom from government interfering in their prejudices. They might live in shitty cabins and trailer parks but they have a truck and a gun (guns) and they can fantasise about being John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. Trump was clever enough to deflect from the impossibility of his promises (coal mining etc) by blaming democrats and the “elite” who he claimed were stealing everything he promised. Never forget Bannon is a student of Nazism.
Just like Hitler blamed the Jewish bankers and then the Jewish people for the stab in the back, Trump blamed the Washington elite for stealing the election. 4 years with real control of the House and Senate for 2 of them, and he was so lazy and inept he didn’t do fuck all except build some bits of wall and generally fuck up the country. However, to hear him, if only he could have had 4 more years (or maybe more) he would have sorted it.
The GOP must be aware of the parallels with Weimar, and the handing of power to a loose cannon. My guess is they are hoping he will die or become infirm in the next couple of years and the problem will go away. The problem is however that they have laid the ground for a younger, more ruthless version to take over. Cruz and Hawley are already seeking to win over the base. And don’t rule out Ivanka doing an Evita.