Saying he "wasn't Trump enough in the age of Trump," Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., lamented the Republican Party has become more about "personal loyalty" than policy.
"If you look from the policy standpoint I was supportive — this is not about policy, but it was about personal loyalty," Sanford, who lost his primary this week, told NBC's "Meet the Press."
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who has also suffered by breaking from President Donald Trump over personal differences, rebuked the direction of the GOP as a "cult" – to which Sanford responded Sunday.
"I wouldn't go so far as cult, but I would just say that, from an electoral sense, people are running for cover, because they don't want to be on the losing side of a presidential tweet," Sanford told host Chuck Todd.
"And from a popular standpoint, it's almost a Faustian bargain. I'll pander to you if you pander to me."
Sanford called the "Faustian" deal with a devil a "dangerous" proposition for Republicans to side with the president over loyalty vs. policy.
"I think we've got to do a whole lot of soul searching in this party," Sanford told Todd.
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