Last Saturday, President Trump headlined a rally in Macomb County, Michigan. His purpose there was to boost the candidacies of several MAGA-friendly candidates. My colleague Tom LaDuke has the story on the rally at Donald Trump Visits Michigan to Make Some Critical Endorsements for November 2022.

Michigan is a critical and winnable state for the GOP. It has the potential to put a presidential candidate over the top, but there are so many shenanigans in Democrat strongholds that it often seems like the real voting happens after the doors to the polling places close; see You Won’t Believe the Shocking Level Of Vote Fraud Exposed By the Michigan Recount.

I’m not sure if Donald Trump showing up in Michigan is linked, but Congressman Fred Upton announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Rep. Fred Upton, one of the longest-tenured Republicans in the House of Representatives, has decided to retire rather than seek reelection in 2022.

Upton was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in January 2021, saying in a statement that “our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any president to impede the peaceful transfer of power.” Now, Upton is the fourth of those 10 to retire, joining Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), John Katko (R-N.Y.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) in exiting Congress.

Upton sniveled about how his district was carved up in redistricting, but the old and the new maps have the district with an R+9 advantage. Upton has raised a lot of money, but he is on a collision course with a Trump-endorsed primary opponent, Representative Bill Huizenga, an angry electorate, and a crap voting record. So rather than fight, Upton is taking his pension and moving on.

Upton is the fourth of ten Vichy Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump over the bullsh** phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Two others, Liz Cheney (WY and Peter Meijer (MI), are dead in the water. The Wyoming GOP has disowned Liz Cheney. Peter Meijer is heading towards a major defeat in his primary against Trump-endorsed John Gibbs.

Trump attacking Peter Meijer for the spelling of his last name pic.twitter.com/klNHboIKF8

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 3, 2022

The more the media questions President Trump’s influence in the GOP and predicts a split between him and the party, the more he proves them wrong. There is a good chance that he will see to the defeat of every Republican in the House who voted to impeach him and shape the course of the 2024 campaign.