To fully comprehend the GOP's dilemma, it's important to realize that as a private citizen, Donald Trump has zero ability to contribute to the party as it stumbles through the political wilderness.
Why?
Three main reasons: (1/7)

1. He has no interest in helping; Trump only helps Trump.
2. With approval ratings at 30%, he can't help because everyone outside the GOP base hates him.
3. Within the base, his appeal is intensely personal and not transferable; if he's not on the ballot, his voters vanish. (2/7)

As proof, I point you to the Georgia Senate runoffs. He forced Loeffler & Perdue to act as his personal puppets, his demands turned off independent and suburban voters, and a good part of his base stayed home. Result? An unlikely Democratic sweep. And Trump didn't care. (3/7)

But if Trump can't help Republicans, he can sure as hell hurt them. That's the source of his continued power over them. He can hurt them a little, or he can hurt them a lot. He can hurt them individually, or he can hurt them collectively. But he can hurt them. (4/7)

And the thing is, that's the kind of power that Trump loves best. He thrills to the cruelty of it, just as he was thrilled by the assault on the Capitol. By now, he has fully conditioned GOP leadership to do whatever it takes to get him to hurt them as little as possible. (5/7)

He smiles upon sycophants; he punishes the slightest hint of independence. He's whimsical about who to favor and disfavor. Within the party, he enjoys the total authority that he sought but finally failed to seize in the country as a whole, and he's not giving it up. (6/7)

You hear a lot of brave rhetoric from Republicans these days about fighting tyranny, but the truth is they lack the guts to fight the tyrant in their own party. They bow to him; they take the pain he inflicts, and then tell themselves they must deserve it. Maybe they do. (7/7)