Former GOP Rep. Exhausted From Battling Trump

Joe Walsh says he feels like he's 'at war' with Trump and his supporters all day long.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman, says he is so opposed to Donald Trump's policies that he feels like he's 'at war' with Trump and his supporters from 'eight in the morning till eight or nine at night.' Walsh, who previously supported the Tea Party movement and Trump, now sees his mission as trying to heal the country's political divide, even though it's 'exhausting' and may 'kill' him.

Why it matters

Walsh's shift from supporting the far-right to now being a vocal critic of Trump and his divisive influence highlights the toll that constant political warfare can take. His comments also underscore the cult-like devotion many Trump supporters have, even as the former president continues to push false claims about the 2020 election.

The details

In a Substack post, Walsh recalled how in 2016 he tweeted that he would 'grab his musket' if Trump lost to Hillary Clinton. Now, Walsh says 'every day, I feel like I grab my musket and I walk out to that battlefield out there. And from eight in the morning till eight or nine at night, I'm just at war.' Walsh acknowledged this is 'exhausting' for him, but he feels compelled to keep fighting against Trump's divisive influence, even if it may 'kill' him.

  • In 2016, Walsh tweeted that he would 'grab his musket' if Trump lost to Hillary Clinton.
  • Earlier this week, Walsh spoke with filmmaker Mark Vicente about his upcoming documentary on narcissism.

The players

Joe Walsh

A former Republican congressman who previously supported the Tea Party movement and Donald Trump, but is now a vocal critic of Trump and his divisive influence.

Mark Vicente

A filmmaker who is working on a documentary about narcissism, 'The Narcissist's Playbook.'

Donald Trump

The former president whose policies and divisive rhetoric have led to a political war with critics like Joe Walsh.

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What they’re saying

“Every day, I feel like I grab my musket and I walk out to that battlefield out there. And from eight in the morning till eight or nine at night, I'm just at war.”

— Joe Walsh, Former Republican Congressman (Substack)

“You want to change the world and the person says, 'You know I'm going to help you do that because that's my mission,' and there's a surge in your chest because your whole life, if you're politically active or whatever, you care about the world, you want that. So you become enamored with somebody that's offering you back your values. You're so attached to that that you can't see what's really going on. And you explain away. You take all the red flags and you turn them pink.”

— Mark Vicente, Filmmaker (Salon)

What’s next

Walsh plans to continue his efforts to heal the country's political divide, despite the toll it is taking on his health.

The takeaway

Walsh's shift from supporting the far-right to now being a vocal critic of Trump's divisive influence highlights the damaging impact of constant political warfare and the cult-like devotion many Trump supporters have, even as the former president continues to push false claims about the 2020 election.