Less than one year in, Trump's presidency is crumbling before our eyes
By: Max Burns (The Hill)
What authority does a Democratic (ie, Looney Tunes) political strategist have to lecture anyone about the Trump administration? (Don't these people remember President Autopen and Kamala What's-her-name.)
Having said that, it is true Trump's approval is falling (and hasn't hit bottom yet). It's also true that Trump has become the proverbial "side of the barn" that's the target of potshots. And Republicans are becoming restive over lack of leadership.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
It doesn't take a political genius to recognize that things are in free fall over at the White House. Less than a year after staffing his administration with a cadre of bumbling goons valued only for their slavish devotion to his ego, President Trump now finds himself leading a government wholly incapable of governing.
Forgive my lack of surprise.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting Republican criticism over a potentially illegal order to kill the survivors of a Caribbean boat strike. Attorney General Pam Bondi's Department of Justice is in disarray after three failed efforts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. And on Monday, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba abruptly resigned after being disqualified by a federal judge from holding her office.
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel is defending his misuse of a government jet to ferry his country music star girlfriend to her shows, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is defending himself against claims from his alleged former mistress Olivia Nuzzi that he is lying to the nation about his sobriety.
If anyone in Trump's White House is actually getting any work done, they've done a good job hiding it from the public.
Trump's approval rating cratered to a new low of just 36 percent in late November following months of open-air dysfunction and his repeated failure to address fundamental problems like rising consumer prices. For the millions of Americans who are just starting to tune in politically ahead of next year's big midterm election, the added horror of Trump's nonfunctional White House team simply solidifies the growing consensus that, despite his big promises, Trump just doesn't seem to know what he's doing.
The situation has grown so bleak for Republicans that many endangered Republican lawmakers are doing something once considered impossible: directly criticizing Trump's failure to lead. As Axios reports, Republicans concerned about their 2026 prospects have taken to bucking Trump at a level that would have been unimaginable during his first term, including forcing the release of the Epstein files (which Trump has yet to do) and lambasting his scheme to issue budget-busting "tariff rebate checks."
In fact, most of Trump's second-term strategy seems to revolve around offering substantial payouts to critical voting blocs alienated by his half-baked economic policies. Facing a revolt by once reliably Republican farmers, Trump hurriedly announced a $12 billion farm-focused bailout aimed at undoing some of the damage caused by his agricultural tariffs.
In a sign of just how frosty Trump's relationship with Congress has grown, most of that money will be distributed through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, avoiding what would likely be a losing fight with skeptical Republican senators. Whatever power Trump once exerted over his colleagues on Capitol Hill seems to have dissolved as his popularity continues to skid.
But Trump's own advisers are beginning to realize they can't pay off all of the people all of the time, and even die-hard MAGA voters are growing impatient for Trump to deliver any significant legislative wins. If Trump's current priorities are any indication, they're going to be waiting a while.
Nearly 40 percent of Trump voters now say the cost of living in their area is the worst they can remember, and they largely blame Trump for failing to act on his pledge to immediately lower prices "starting on day one." Instead of acknowledging his misstep and doubling down on a solution, Trump is instead furious that Republicans are talking about affordability issues at all. It's hard to imagine a more out-of-touch response to legitimate voter concerns.
Trump's crumbling administration is living proof that the best way to convince voters to elect Democrats is to let Republicans run things for a year. The White House is so soaked in ethical and legal scandals that its governing agenda — what little there ever was — has evaporated completely. No one, least of all the president, seems very interested in trying to salvage the few stalled policy initiatives that remain. Merely keeping track of their multiplying crises eats up most of the day.
As America turns the page on 2025, Trump's already overburdened and underqualified team will now have to add a tempestuous midterm election to its growing list of headaches. Republicans outside Trump's orbit have serious doubts about his ability to save the party from a looming electoral reckoning now that the veil has slipped off the MAGA movement to reveal the sloppy mess that always churned just below its oily surface. They are right to be horrified at the nightmare that lurks below.
Max Burns is a veteran Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies.
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Trump's head games are creating headwinds for the midterms. It's so obvious that oblivious Democratic strategists can see it. But don't underestimate Democrat's ability to shoot a winning horse. (Doubling down on CRT, woke wonkism, and DEI is not a winning playbook.)
The only thing that I cannot reconcile is why it is taking so long for the remaining Trump supporters to realize what Trump is and what he cares about.
It's a mystery
Morning..think I have lost the plot..
I thought Trump had been in for 2 years for some reason but it's only 1..I had to google it...
Sure as heck feels like 2..gawd what a way to start the day..
It feels longer than that to me...like 20 years
How many times must it be repeated that everyone knew who and what Trump is. Everyone knew Trump was a pussy grabber who skipped on debts, hired illegals, and couldn't even make a casino turn a profit in Atlantic City (of all places) in 2015, almost a year before the Republican primaries. I realize the left needs a political narrative that Trump's support is a cult so they can spin all manner of bogus narratives.
There's nothing to reconcile. Trump ran on God and America, patriotism and domestic prosperity. Trump ran on an ideological platform that Democrats besmirch and denigrate. The choice was rather stark. If you love your country, vote for Trump. If you love global institutions more than country, then vote for Clinton.
Trump ran for office three times and has received less than 50% of the vote in ALL of them. Your endless attempts to blame Trump on the left and Democrats has grown more than annoying.
If you oppose Trump then oppose him for fucks sake.
Trump is a fucking asshole that advocated for preferred policies. What's the alternative? A likeable candidate that advocates for the wrong policies?
Is choosing a President supposed to be a popularity contest? Or is it supposed to be about ideology, policy, and national priorities?
Bullshit.
Trump is incompetent. His policies do not accomplish his promises; quite the opposite. If people knew who Trump was they would have known that he would not effect the policies they wanted.
Too many were fooled. Too many remain fooled.
No.
There are those that knew who and what Trump is, and there are those that believed the propaganda about who and what Trump is.
Trumpists believe:
All these are demonstrably false.
So, where are the neoliberal Reagan Republicans now? Where are the neocon Republicans now? The Republican Party isn't even the same as it was while Barack Obama was in office. It is undeniable that Trump (with grassroots support) has changed the Republican Party. As a consequence the Democratic Party is being forced to become more conservative in defense of institutions, too.
We can see the results.
Republicans currently are quivering pieces of spineless jelly huddled in the darkest corner they can find and only come out when told to do so by cult leader Trump, and are only allowed to speak when they are given a script so they know what to say. Any exceptions to that are not true republicans ...
And there are those who know who and what Trump is but believed in the promise of an American revival. As we have seen, Democrats fear the prospect of an American revival.
Tell us again, who caved to end the government shutdown? Seems the Democratic Party is in no position to lecture anyone about huddling in corners or cult leaders.
I agree.
I do not recognize the GoP; I wish the prior GoP could return (Reagan and earlier), but I suspect I will never see anything like it again.
Trump never talked about an American revival, he spoke of destroying America and ignoring the Constitution. Once again, the only ones that believed he would cause an American revival never actually listened to what he said. He was completely open about what laws he wanted to break ands what political enemies he wanted to attack. But when confronted he denied ever saying such and that denial is the only thing that registered in those mushy MAGA brains.
You're going to have to explain yourself on this one.
On one hand you have quivering pieces of spineless jelly allowing Trump to take power away from Congress and keep for himself.
On the other hand you have the democratic party that is akin to herding cats, they'll stick together for a while but then go off on their own interests.
They're pretty much opposites.
apparently you voted for him God and country and all that rot
The phrase "Make America Great Again" is a promise of American revival.
It's a bumper sticker for the simple minded. Nothing more.
Trump hasn't taken any more power than did his immediate predecessor. Trump did not establish the power of an independent executive issuing Executive Orders and claiming executive privilege.
You describe the Republican Congressmen as pieces of spineless jelly allowing Trump to take power away from Congress. But the only power Trump has is voter support and threats of 'primarying' incumbents.
Today's Republicans in Congress were put there by voters, not by Trump. And Republican voters were unified behind the idea of asserting America's national sovereignty, American independence in world affairs, a revival of a blue-collar economy, and a renewal of a moral authority outside government. Republicans believe in an ideological vision of America that binds the party together.
Republicans are more unified than Democrats. Democrats, being who they are, are attempting to create division by claiming unity is a bad thing. Democrats have a vision of America divided into self-identifying tribes (cats) fighting with each other for scraps of government benevolence. Democrats want a world that is dependent upon scraps of government benevolence only Democrats can provide. Democrats have no goal, no purpose, no reason for being other than to hold sufficient power to impose minority rule onto the planet.
I voted for the promise of an American renewal. I want to take the country back from the financial sector. I want to return to an industrial economy and do away with the middleman economy. I want the country to return to work and wages as the source of opportunity.
Today's dollar has the same value as thirteen cents in 1971. Why 1971? That's when our currency became the fiat dollar not tied to anything of value. Over 99% of our national debt has been created since 1971. Our dollar isn't worth anything, that's why the debt has become a mountain. It takes $8 dollars today to replace $1 dollar of debt from 1971.
Looks like that vote didn't work out for you, did it?
Too early to say. Imports have lost the price advantage over domestic goods. Bob Nelson posted an article ( here ) that shows the tariffs are working as promised. But that's only the first phase, I am waiting for the follow through.
The nation's borders have been closed to illegal immigrants. But that's only the first phase, I am waiting to see what immigration reforms will become permanent.
The culture-war issues have been pushed to the sidelines. The changes to the Republican Party has also forced the Democratic Party to become more conservative in defense of institutions.
From my perspective the change in direction is working as it should, so far. But it's not finished yet. So, yes, it could still fail.
But it does say something specific, doesn't it? What does "Change We Can Believe In" tell us? Or "Stronger Together"?
How is "Build Back Better" different?
Tariffs are a Congressional power that Trump has taken over. So I don't need to read the rest of your rant since sentence #1 is already wrong.
No it does not.
Maybe there is a God.
We wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if there was.
That's a very good point, and has been the subject of debate for centuries.
It should crumble a great deal more if MAGA catches on anytime soon.
Trump just released his Trump Gold Card to allow wealthy illegal immigrants to PURCHASE the card to stay here.
Is this policy making America great?
American taxpayers are footing the bill to attack our own cities while they frequently attack U.S. citizens and a majority of good hard working immigrants at court hearings trying to come here the right way.
So Trump just hands out Trump Gold Card Visas to any immigrant that can pay?? Just a level of hypocrisy that cannot be matched.