I don't think NT's abandoned all conservative values but Trump is an incredibly polarizing guy and like it or not, we are a cult-of-personality when it comes to politics and particularly POTUS elections. As a general rule, politicians don't actually articulate their true positions well, they use bumper stickers. so it is less about actual policy and more about delivery when people make up their mind to vote. Trump doesn't make it very easy to "slightly" disagree with him. At the first sign of "disloyalty" Trump turns into a junk yard dog and takes a flamethrower to anyone that is not 100% supportive (think Kemp). You can either dodge the fight like Kemp has or you can stand your ground like Cheney did. But like others, Cheney's fight with Trump, became Cheney-stands-with-Dems. It is a tricky place to be. Pick even a little fight with Trump and you find yourself in "total war". This "total war" means you now get in bed with ideas and people that you might never have before.
It depends a lot on who we're talking about. The Dispatch people (Jonah Goldberg, David French, Sarah Isgur, and Kevin Williamson) and to a lesser extent the National Review people (Rich Lowry, C.W. Cooke, etc.) are very quick to attack Trump (and usually rightfully so), but they didn't stop promoting a conservative policy agenda and didn't stop attacking the leftist agenda (though David French has come close). They don't cheer on Democratic victory. Furthermore, they could admit when Trump did something right (like judicial appointments and tax relief). Trump and his surrogates do attack these people, but they basically don't let it impact their focus. These are the people I align with most.
The true NeverTrump people (The Bullwark, Bill Kristol, Jennifer Rubin, Max Boot, Ana Navarro, and the Lincoln Project) basically never advocate for conservative policy anymore. They look at the genuinely good things Trump did and dismiss them. They are largely silent on the worst actions of the Left. They openly cheer on Democrats and repeat their talking points and narratives mindlessly. They did little or nothing to help Republicans who were anti-Trump, threw them to the wolves, and let Democrats pick up their seats. These people did abandon their conservative values, and they are traitorous disgraces. Screw them. I get that Trump makes enemies out of anybody who doesn't completely lick his nuts, but that's no excuse to do what these people did. They are pathetic.
I had a lot of respect for Liz Cheney when she voted to impeach Trump and spoke out against his conduct on January 6. It did take balls considering where she was from, and I was hoping she would be an advocate for a post-Trump conservatism. She decided not to go that route and joined the NeverTrumpers. Very sad, because it ultimately entrenched Trump further within the GOP (because it ruined the credibility of the conservative case against Trump), and it's a net loss for conservative policy.
