Trump’s ineffectual insertion of himself into the speaker ruckus is only one marker of his decaying political powers. His fervent support of Mehmet Oz, Herschel Walker, Adam Laxalt and Blake Masters for Senate seats bombed at the ballot box. On Election Night, Fox News, once a steadfast ally, labeled him “The biggest loser tonight” for the Republicans’ poor results. His acid tongue, once corrosive enough to end the careers of his foes, has become impotent: His attempt to brand presidential rival Ron DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” backfired, making Trump the object of derision instead of DeSantis. In December, he hit a seven-year low in his standing with voters. His desultory 2024 presidential campaign has drawn only yawns from the press and politicians, setting him up for a devastating magazine profile by Olivia Nuzzi that portrays him as a sad duffer living in the opulence of the past like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
This is not to say that current events have completely husked Trump and dumped him in the compost. He still commands a core of supporters and a demonstrable ability to fundraise, so let’s keep his political obituary in the prewrite bin for now. But every politician is born with a sell-by date pressed on his forehead, and Trump is no exception. If he’s starting to stink of irrelevance to politicians like Boebert and Matt Gaetz, people he more or less invented, then his political time might be drawing to an end.
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