How different it is today. In 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.” It was a clear violation of the Constitution’s Article VI protections against religious tests, but the Republican Party did nothing. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who had previously led an extensive analysis of the need for the party to expand its appeal beyond white Christian voters, refused to commit the party to support the Constitution. Later, when Priebus served as White House chief of staff, President Trump seemed to take particular delight in humiliating him, reportedly tasking him with killing flies. Trump had learned that Priebus, like the party he once led, was weak and worthy of his disgust.