Just days after calling Donald Trump the “greatest president of my lifetime,” actor and outspoken MAGA supporter James Woods says he is leaving the Republican Party and registering as an independent, citing frustration with GOP leadership in Congress.
The “Ghosts of Mississippi” actor announced the decision Thursday in an X post criticizing congressional Republicans for blocking an effort to investigate Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, arguing some GOP lawmakers aren’t doing enough to hold the opposition accountable.
“I am done with the Republican Party,” Woods, 78, wrote on X. “Between this and Thune’s refusal to pass the SAVE Act, I’m done with these uniparty traitors.”
“I’m changing my party affiliation to Independent. No wonder President Trump is fighting an uphill battle every day,” he added.
Woods included a video of South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace in his post, who also criticized members of her own party Thursday after a proposed motion seeking records related to Omar failed to advance in the House.
The post, from the X account @WallStreetApes, argued that members of her own party were protecting Omar and called the situation evidence of a “uniparty.”
Mace argued that Republicans should be willing to pursue investigations they often campaign on, particularly allegations involving immigration issues tied to Omar that have circulated in conservative media for years.
Omar has denied those allegations, and previous inquiries have found no conclusive evidence supporting them.
The disagreement reflects a bigger divide in the Republican Party over just how far they should go in investigating their political opponents. Some lawmakers worry that launching investigations without strong evidence could backfire or distract from other priorities in Congress. But others, especially in the party’s more conservative wing, argue GOP leaders are being too cautious and should take a tougher stance against Democrats.
Woods, a former Hollywood A-lister, has become well known in recent years for his conservative politics. Last week, the Oscar-nominated actor posted a photo of Trump and his cabinet posing for a picture in the Oval Office, writing on X, “Greatest President and greatest Cabinet, certainly in my lifetime.”
His announcement also comes at a time when independent voters continue to play a major role in American elections. The 2024 election showed that independent voters have become one of the biggest groups in American politics.
Exit polls from CNN found that 34 percent of voters identified as independents, putting them just behind Republicans and slightly ahead of Democrats, making independents the second-largest voting group in the 2024 election.
Those voters were nearly evenly split between the two main candidates, with 46 percent supporting Donald Trump and 49 percent backing Kamala Harris.
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