Why the tide may be turning on Trump

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(CNN)What's that we hear? Is it the sound of prominent conservatives and Trump allies openly rebuking former President Donald Trump? Are these the early murmurs of a conservative backlash against Trump? And is it possible a political lane is opening for another Republican presidential candidate in 2024?

It's too soon to know, of course, and there's plenty of evidence that those who stand up against the vindictive Trump will end up crushed by either his bullying ways or by his loyal followers, with little support from the rest of the GOP. And yet, it is noteworthy that in the past few days we have heard from two major figures in the conservative camp telling Trump that he should stop whining about the election he lost and let the Republican Party focus on real issues, instead of his self-serving fantasies.

The statements from Rupert Murdoch -- who controls a media empire that includes, among other properties, the shamelessly pro-Trump Fox News -- and from former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- an adviser who worked with the former president and helped him prepare for the presidential debates during the 2020 election -- may serve as a test for Republicans who understand just how harmful Trump's dominance of the GOP is, and how it could ultimately sink the party.

It was startling when Murdoch, addressing his company at the annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, said that the United States faces a number of major political decisions that conservatives will fail to shape unless Trump moves on. "The current American political debate is profound," he said, citing education, welfare and economic opportunity. "It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate," he added, "but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past."

Murdoch is not alone in arguing that Trump is a threat to conservatives. Christie, who has just published a new book that looks very much like his unofficial entry into the 2024 presidential race, is making the same case, only more forcefully.

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