Editor's note: Freddie Reidy is a freelance writer based in London. He studied history and history of art at the University of Kent, Canterbury, specializing in Russian history and international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

There's an elephant in the room, and while such a sight may be commonplace for Republicans, who use the animal as their party's logo, this particular elephant is the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump.

In the weeks following a Federal Burau of Investigation (FBI) raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the former president has railed against the FBI, seen off his fierce critic Liz Cheyney in the Wyoming Republican primary and in so doing reminded Republicans that he remains a force to be reconned with.

Despite these recent victories for Trump, the Democrats have seen a positive reversal in fortune in the polls for upcoming mid-term elections for the first time since November 2021, suggesting that while economic strife at home may have rallied GOP fortunes, the party remains vulnerable.

Part of this vulnerability stems from the fallout of the inquiry into the storming of the Capitol, which, while dismissed as a "witch hunt" by Trump, has taken a toll on swing voter support. Former President Trump though, is an elephant in the room since the Republicans are split over his future within the party.

Such is the state of absolute partisanship in U.S. politics that it is seen preferable to close ranks and undermine the January 6 hearings rather than see it as a way of returning the party to a sense of normalcy in a post-Trump era.  

Trump may have many faults but understanding how the press works certainly isn't among them. Despite President Joe Biden's valiant efforts in not mentioning his predecessor by name, it would appear that vast swathes of the country can speak of little else. Even Trump's enforced hiatus from Twitter has created a certain mystique.  

There was a moment shortly after Biden's inauguration when the party could have forged a post-Trump future, but ultimately that window closed with the pilgrimage made by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, which underscored the former president's continued influence.

Of course, the roll of former presidents and political dynasties such as John F. Kennedy's, Bill Clinton's and George W. Bush's is nothing new, but the ruthlessness with which the Trump team meters out its assessment of its own members and representatives is somewhat unique.

If there were another elephant in the room though, it would be the fact that if not Trump's Republican vision, then what? The spectacle of the filled bleachers of 2016 and groundswell of support lives long in the GOP memory and basking in the glory of battles past may prove too great a temptation, thus killing off prospects of a more radical ideological shift within the party.

The search, therefore, could be for a worthy successor to pass the baton rather than a need to change lanes, as Fox News host Laura Ingraham alluded. "The country, I think, is so exhausted. They're exhausted by the battle, the constant battle, that they may believe that, well, maybe it's time to turn the page if we can get someone who has all Trump's policies, who's not Trump."

For all the strife in the Republican Party, however, the Democrats are also experiencing something of a crisis of confidence in their leadership. So disillusioned with the government's policies at a state level, long-time Ohio representative Marcy Kaptur stated in a recent campaign advert that "she doesn't work for Joe Biden, she works for you."

As former House of Representatives Speaker Tip O'Neil famously observed, "all politics is local." This is perhaps truer than ever during an economic downturn as voters seek tangible reassurance. In which case neither Biden's centralized leadership style nor Trump's efforts to use mid-terms as a personal springboard to the presidency are likely to yield conclusive results. However, in both cases their respective parties must confront internal struggles and attempt to build a bridge beyond their septuagenarian-led parties if the country is to thrive.

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