@BillW,
If Trump is removed via impeachment (or if he resigns), then Pence moves up. I don't think that will work for Republicans. He's tied himself too tightly to the orange albatross. I can't imagine conservatives would get behind Romney. Ryan would seem a better bet.
But Trump won't be gone by then unless he just flips out in public or some very obvious and undeniable criminality is exposed. I can't see either of those happening.
Most likely, I think, is that Republicans/conservatives will go all in as Trump supporters over the next year. They have all their eggs in that basket. They can safely assume he'll not be removed with McConnell in place.
The chaos will come when/if Trump loses. Then there will be several main thrusts to Republican story-telling:
1) the media brought him down using lies and smears because the media is controlled by and populated by Dems
2) there was, it will be said, massive voter fraud, mostly involving illegal immigrants
3) IT WAS A COUP STAGED BY THE MOST VICIOUS POLITICAL MACHINATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA!
4) George Soros
5) Trump was not a real conservative and many of us said so.
And then they'll go full in on some rebranding exercise.
