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After the Exit
Republicans in Congress Who Spoke on the Way Out
From Corker and Flake in 2017 to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thom Tillis, the loudest Republican criticism has usually come with an exit attached.
By Daniel Rosenthal · Published · AI-written, human-reviewed
Which Republican lawmakers criticized Trump as they left?
| Member | Chamber | Exit | What they said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Corker (Tenn.) | Senate | Announced retirement Sept. 2017 | October 2017: called the White House an "adult day care center" after Trump attacked him. | CBC |
| Jeff Flake (Ariz.) | Senate | Announced retirement Oct. 2017 | In the same Senate floor speech announcing his retirement: "It is time for our complicity to end." | KUTV |
| Mitt Romney (Utah) | Senate | Announced retirement Sept. 2023 | Voted to convict Trump in both impeachment trials while in office. His 2023 biography says colleagues privately agreed with him but cited reelection. | NPR via WUSF |
| Liz Cheney (Wyo.) | House | Lost primary Aug. 2022 | Criticized Trump while in office as vice chair of the January 6 committee, then lost her primary to a Trump-backed challenger. | Local 12 / Sinclair |
| Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) | House | Resigned, effective Jan. 5, 2026 | Broke with Trump over the Epstein files and priorities. On 60 Minutes: "the No. 1 focus should have been domestic policy, and it wasn't." Trump called her a traitor and "Wacky." | Deseret News |
| Thom Tillis (N.C.) | Senate | Not running, leaves Jan. 2027 | October 2026 book: Hegseth vote his biggest regret; at least 30 colleagues voiced private doubts. See Part 1. | AP via ABC News |
Why does criticism tend to arrive with retirement?
The members themselves have explained it. Romney's biographer McKay Coppins reported that several Republican senators told Romney they agreed with him but could not say so, with one explaining, "I have a reelection to think about." Tillis now writes much the same thing about 2025, saying at least 30 colleagues privately doubted nominees they publicly praised.
Two exits show the cost of speaking while still in office. Cheney criticized Trump as a sitting member and lost her primary by a wide margin. Greene broke with Trump while in office, received threats after he called her a traitor, and resigned weeks later.
Sources: NPR via WUSF · Deseret News
Is it fair to call these exits brave?
Readers disagree, and both views have support. Supporters note that speaking out ended or shortened careers. Critics, including many Democrats, argue that criticism delivered after the last vote has little effect, and that Corker, Flake and Tillis voted for much of Trump's agenda while in office. Both can be true.
The series
- Part 1: Thom Tillis and the book he waited to write
- Part 2: The first-term Cabinet and White House, after they left
- Part 3: Republicans in Congress who spoke on the way out (you are here)
- Part 4: Second-term exits, and why most stay quiet
- Part 5: The pattern, and the case against reading too much into it