While control of the House is still up in the air, if it were to fall in the GOP column, Trump would begin his second presidency once again with a unified government behind him, and we would have an immediate idea of ​​how his approach to governance may have changed and how closely Republicans are aligned behind him. I think it’s worth remembering that another Trump candidacy, much less a presidency, was far from a given at the end of his last term.

Trump’s first presidency was marked by some growing conflicts between his populist, outsider style and more establishment Republicans in Congress, particularly the Senate. That led to some ups and downs in implementing an agenda: Republicans sometimes seemed to govern despite Trump as much as with him or under his leadership. Even the end of his presidency was marked by Congress returning to session to override his veto of a bipartisan defense policy bill on New Year’s Day 2021.

Check that date: it was just a few days before the January 6 insurrection. After the events of January 6, seven Republican senators voted to impeach the former president, and others, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, at least flirted with it. While it wasn’t a full rebuke of the party on paper, it did feel like many Republicans in Congress were eager to close the door on Trump’s GOP chapter. That remained the narrative after the party’s disappointing 2022 midterm elections, when Trump-backed candidates appeared to fail. At that time the party seemed to be facing a decision about its future.

Still, as soon as the 2024 Republican primaries began, it seemed like Republicans were resigned to making Trump their standard-bearer once again. Even as a presidential candidate, he had significant influence over the GOP agenda, such as when he scuttled a bipartisan border deal earlier this year. And as we heard hints in his speech tonight, Trump will almost certainly take all the credit for what looks to be a great election cycle for Republicans. His position as party leader may translate better to Congress this time, between his experience in office and what appears to be a larger Republican majority in the Senate. After tonight, it seems like we are Trump’s Republican Party and we all live in it.