WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the aftermath of an insurrection and impeachment stands a seemingly fractured GOP party on Capitol Hill. 

The conservatives at odds are lawmakers who still support Donald Trump and those who are looking to move on from the former president.

“I think a GOP civil war will be counterproductive,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Green Bay). “And the fact is, I think we need to remain a big tent party. And there's plenty of room in that tent for diversity of opinions and different ideas.”

But other Republicans see things differently. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) unsuccessfully led the charge to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) from her position as conference chair after she voted to impeach Trump. And several others who broke rank in order to convict the former president faced formal censures from their respective state GOP parties.

“I think this kind of name calling and the attempt to cancel either side of the Republican Party is going to be counterproductive,” Gallagher said. “And so I hope we stay focused on policies and issues and even looking back at the last four years, do an honest analysis of the good, the bad and the ugly.”

But for the foreseeable future, the man responsible for the last four years will still have a significant influence over the majority of conservative lawmakers.

Gallagher said he’s unsure if Trump’s presence could be harmful to the party reuniting.

“I don't know how that's gonna manifest itself in these elections,” he said. “I just would encourage the Republican Party to be a party of ideas, not individual personalities. In some sense, it’s not about any individual elected member of Congress. It's not about me. It's not about this senator or that governor. It's about ideas that can improve the lives of Wisconsinites and Americans.”​