Over the last 10 years, Donald Trump has come to singularly define the Republican Party. His rule has created a singular cult-mindset meets mutually-assured-destruction that has been enough to turn someone like JD Vance from calling him Americas Hitler to being Trumps vice presidential lap dog. But it looks like that unity is finally breaking down, and the split that results could save America not just from Trump, but from the political system that allowed for him.Over the last few decades, the Republican Party has rarely been fully unified on many topics; being pro-military might be one of the few defining features of the party. But as Trump has set a course for them, theyve come together, too afraid to step out of line for fear of his political wrath. Now, that Trumpian direction doesnt even prioritize true military effectiveness, but the Republicans have followed along to keep their leader happy. Related Everything is grooming now except for actually grooming children But underneath that superficial unity, there are still some genuine ideals (not necessarily good ones, but theyre there). Trump is holding together a Republican party that has splintered under the surface as centrists and alt-right conspiracy theorists pull away from each other along the political alignment chart. At this point, it seems that Trump isnt enough to hold those disparate parts together, and the party is going to snap.The list of Republicans who have started to point out that the emperor isnt wearing any clothes is growing. From Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), that might not be surprising. Even from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), it might be expectedhes often been one on the outside of the group because (reportedly) no one can stand him. But now were hearing it from figures like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who once seemed to worship the ground Trump walked on. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today So much of this comes down to the Epstein Files. Greene showed signs early that she wasnt going to be chill with anyone trying to backtrack on promises to expose child predators: she had made protection of children a huge part of her campaigns and warned back in July that not releasing the files would lose Trump his base.Trump directly tried to get Boebert to withdraw her name from the petition to vote on the release of the Epstein Files. Despite that pressure taking place in the White House situation room, Boebert held strong and told the president, No. Mace has spoken out on not being willing to continue backing Trump on the files, saying that she had run out of patience. Trump has built himself as someone you dont say no to, and these three former fawners rejecting him speaks volumes. Hes also seen a rebuke from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the Republican co-sponsor of the Epstein Files bill for the House of Representatives. Despite Trump pressuring Massie to back down on the matter, he held firm, and the dispute between them got ugly.The result has been discord within what was once Trumps Republican Party. Trump has been hurling insults at Massie and Greene (even if theyre not very good insults). But more importantly, hes encouraging challengers from both of their seats, suggesting that hell endorse anyone who tries to unseat them.That discord is going to be a big problem for Trump. Greene isnt going anywhere. Shes sure that voters will stick with her, and theres a reason she has been able to make a name for herself despite all the bigotry and conspiracy theories she spouts. Her new tone is likely an early bid to expand that base, and she seems ready to shoot for the presidency. With a growing number of Republicans ready to distance themselves from Trump, it opens the door to the party splitting apart in a move that could be exactly what America needs: multiple major parties that are more disparate in their views, rather than a lot of differing opinions housed under one roof, with the steering wheel being grabbed by whoever is loudest.The Republicans could easily separate into the groups they already huddle in under the banner of the Republican Party: centrists, hard-rights, extreme-rights, and conspiracy theorists.Under their supposed unifying goal, voters can be gathered for bills on extreme and unpopular ideas in order to get the quid pro quo support for more moderate bills, and thats especially true when the party only holds a slim majority. Without the authoritarian brand of unity that theyve had under Trump, there might be space for some more reasonable negotiations to take place. Of course, this isnt a problem that plagues only the Republicans. The Democrats, too, are, in reality, multiple smaller parties stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat. Centrist Dems and Progressives under the same roof have provided more bickering inside the party than truly concerted efforts to bridge political divides outside of the party. A split would do them good as well, and with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announcing plans to retire, the old guard that has held the group together might be coming to an end.If these schisms were to happen, it would take the country to a place closer to what George Washington had once hoped for: one where party mindset doesnt define every part of politics. The current electoral framework might make all of this difficult as it supports a two-party system above all else. But other countries have worked on ranked-choice voting methods and used systems where multiple parties come together to form a coalition government that more proportionally represents the will of the people. With the right ruptures within the parties and political interests more widely spread, electoral reform might one day be feasible.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.