Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Sunday that significant Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections would spark an internal debate over the future of the MAGA movement — a conversation he believes the party needs.
“I do think there will be a debate in the party, and I think we need it,” Bacon said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Host Jake Tapper had asked whether major Republican defeats in the House or Senate could signal “the beginning of the end” for MAGA.
Bacon, a retired Air Force general who has represented a competitive Omaha-area district since 2017, cited President Trump’s unpopular tariff policy as a major liability for MAGA Republicans.
He said Trump is “underwater quite a bit” in the Midwest’s politically competitive areas, blaming tariffs that he described as “a tax on consumers.”
According to Bacon, the tariffs have put Republicans “in a weird spot.” He said the party should return to the free-trade principles associated with the “Milton Friedman” and “Eisenhower-Reagan” eras.
The Nebraska Republican has long been among the most outspoken members of his party in opposing Trump’s import taxes.
In February, he was one of six House Republicans who voted to repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada. Soon afterward, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had exceeded his executive authority by imposing his sweeping “Liberation Day” levies.
Bacon, a five-term congressman, announced in June that he would not seek reelection. Democrat Denise Powell is now favored to win his seat.
He has also been mentioned as a potential Republican contender for president in 2028.
Asked about a possible 2028 campaign during Sunday’s interview, Bacon said he did not want the discussion to be “about me.” He also noted that James Garfield was the last House member to move directly to the White House.
Tapper said the response amounted to a dodge: “I don’t think you said yes or no on that.”
In September, Bacon said on the Our Republican Legacy podcast that he “would love to” run for president.
