- Miles Bruner, a longtime GOP fundraiser, resigned accusing the Republican Party under Trump of becoming a "cult of personality" eroding institutions and truth.
- His departure adds to GOP turmoil—youth racist-chat scandals, internal conflicts, and concerns about the party's direction amid Trump’s second term.
In a move that’s sending ripples through Republican circles, longtime GOP fundraiser Miles Bruner has publicly resigned, slamming the party as a “cult of personality” under Donald Trump’s influence that echoes some of the darkest authoritarian regimes of the past century.
Bruner, who spent over a decade crafting fundraising appeals and advising candidates, detailed his decision in a raw, personal essay published in The Bulwark, titled “My Last Day as an Accomplice of the Republican Party.”
Bruner’s departure comes at a tense moment for the GOP, now in the thick of Trump’s second term, which he says has only accelerated the party’s “descent into despotism.”
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He didn’t hold back in his piece, writing that since Trump rode down that golden escalator back in 2015, the Republican Party “has devolved into a cult of personality that mirrors the worst authoritarian regimes of the last 100 years.”
For ten years, Bruner argued, the GOP has been waging “an unrelenting war on our civic institutions, the separation of powers, the foundation of the rule of law, and the very nature of truth itself.”
His role in the machine made him complicit, he admitted.
As a senior strategist at Campaign Solutions, a Republican digital fundraising firm, Bruner said his job often involved drafting emails that “out-MAGA the previous,” pushing election fraud conspiracies, fanning anti-immigrant fears, and eroding trust in institutions.
It was routine stuff in that world, but over time, it wore him down.
The Turning Point for Bruner

He also worked on the campaign for moderate California State Senator Janet Nguyen, where he served as her political coordinator and later district director.
That’s where some of his earliest doubts crept in.
Bruner recounted a pivotal moment after the 2017 Charlottesville rally, where Trump infamously referred to “very fine people” on both sides of the deadly far-right clash.
Hoping to distance Nguyen from the controversy, his team drafted a statement calling Heather Heyer—an activist killed by a white supremacist—”an American hero.”
But backlash from Trump’s MAGA base forced changes; Nguyen wasn’t happy, and the stronger condemnations stopped.
“The staff stressed to her that Heyer had indeed been killed by a terrorist for protesting Nazis in her city.
But that didn’t matter; the text was changed, and any further condemnations of Trump or alt-right activities occurring in our district would stop,” Bruner wrote.
Looking back, he added, “It was the first time I should have drawn the line and said I quit. But, again, I stayed.”
What finally pushed him over the edge?
The Supreme Court’s sharp rightward shift during Trump’s years in power, and what he called “the lengths to which the right was willing to go to undermine established legal precedents and access to reproductive rights.”
Bruner said he spent years rationalizing and compartmentalizing his concerns, staying tethered to the party despite everything.
But no more. His essay ends with a plea to fellow Republicans: “I know the thought of walking away from your career and your familiar social network is terrifying.
I urge you to recognize that our nation is heading down a very dark path. But it’s not too late to change direction.
If you believe in this country, now is the time to refuse to ferry its destruction for a tainted livelihood. Take a stand. Speak out. Show your pride as an American who believes in the Constitution and the values we grew up with.”
This isn’t just one guy’s gripe—it’s part of a broader wave of unrest bubbling up in the GOP lately.
Republican Youth Club Gets Disbanded Following Racist Discovery
Just last week, a bombshell report from Politico exposed leaked Telegram chats from Young Republican groups across the country, filled with racist slurs, antisemitic jabs, and even jokes about rape.
The chats, involving members from New York, Kansas, and beyond, have sparked bipartisan outrage and calls for resignations.
One participant reportedly works in the Trump administration, adding fuel to the fire.
GOP leaders in New York quickly suspended their Young Republicans chapter, while others demanded that those involved step down immediately.
“This is so vile,” one critic summed it up, as the scandal highlighted a “culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely” in some Trump-era corners of the party.
The fallout has been swift: some local officials tied to the chats are already losing jobs or facing pressure to quit.
Young Republicans themselves have joined the chorus, calling for the immediate resignation of leaders who participated.
It’s a messy reminder of the tensions simmering beneath the surface, especially as the party grapples with its identity post-2024 election.
Even within the House, cracks are showing.
California Representative Kevin Kiley, a Republican, has been showing up to work alone during the ongoing government shutdown, openly criticizing his own party for keeping the House out of session.
He’s one of the few voices pushing back against the gridlock, which has left many frustrated.
High-Profile GOP Members Grow Concerned with Administration
And then there’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand congresswoman from Georgia, who recently lashed out at her fellow Republicans in a Washington Post interview.
She slammed GOP men as “weak” and “afraid of strong Republican women,” accusing the party of internal weakness amid broader fights.
It’s all painting a picture of a party at war with itself, from the fundraising trenches to the halls of Congress.
Bruner’s exit, timed as Trump’s second term hits its stride, underscores a growing sentiment among some insiders that the GOP’s path under Trump is unsustainable.
Whether it inspires more defections remains to be seen, but with scandals like the Young Republicans’ chats piling on, the pressure is mounting.
As one observer put it, the party has become “increasingly corrupt,” and stories like these are forcing tough conversations.
Also Read: Republicans Face Growing Backlash as Voters Blame Them for Govt. Shutdown