Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Sunday that significant Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections would spark an internal debate over the MAGA movement—an argument he believes the party needs to have.
“I do think there will be a debate in the party, and I think we need it,” Bacon said during an appearance 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, identified President Trump’s unpopular tariff policy as a significant liability for the movement.
He said Trump is “underwater quite a bit” in the Midwest’s politically competitive areas, attributing much of that weakness to tariffs, which he described as “a tax on consumers.”
According to Bacon, the tariff debate has put Republicans “in a weird spot.” He said the party should return to the free-trade tradition associated with the “Milton Friedman” and “Eisenhower-Reagan” eras.
The Nebraska Republican has long ranked 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 the seat.
He has also been mentioned as a potential contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
Asked about a 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 characterized the response as evasive. “I don’t think you said yes or no on that,” the host said.
In September, however, Bacon said on the Our Republican Legacy podcast that he “would love to” run for president.