Has Trumpism Run Its Course?

In this election cycle, Republican Congressional and gubernatorial candidates from coast to coast appear to be distancing themselves from President Trump, some more overtly than others. Could this be the beginning of the end for Trumpism?

The main issue of concern, of course, is the ongoing conflict with Iran and the resultant continuing high price of gasoline which, along with the soaring price of diesel fuel caused mainly by the Russia-Ukraine war, is producing across-the-board price inflation. But voter discontent with Trump probably goes beyond that.

When Trump was in his comparative, pre-COVID heyday circa 2019, supporters could crow about “promises made, promises kept” regarding tax cuts and regulatory relief to spur the economy, even though the promised border wall was going up very slowly if at all. Although Trump signed numerous executive orders in his first term, he at least made a pass at working with a House and Senate controlled by his party. 

That approach went out the window thus far in term two, even though once again the two chambers are controlled, albeit slimly, by Republicans. Other than getting Congress to extend the tax cuts passed during his first term and the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Trump has not relied on them for much else since January 2025. And the BBB may have been as misnamed as Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” for its negligible impact on runaway federal spending.

Historians will argue for many years about the necessity of so many executive orders in Trump’s second term. And overlaying that concern is his failure to obtain Congressional approval for his military campaign against Iran, a decision driven by his overconfident prediction that the military aspect of the mission would last only a few weeks. As the war and associated economic and diplomatic actions have dragged on over months instead of weeks, and with no clear end yet in sight, Trump’s actions have caused his approval ratings to plummet. That Republicans running for election are now distancing themselves from him has a lot to do with the war and the resulting pain at the pump and grocery store. And ironically enough, the higher cost of living, however temporary it might be, has given Democrats the “affordability” issue – akin to giving a teenaged driver the keys to a Ferrari if voters actually buy what they’re selling.

The heavy use of executive orders, including those on unpopular and arguably non-emergency issues like tariffs, has left Trump open to the drumbeat criticisms from leftist politicians and media that he’s governing as a power-mad dictator. As a conservative, I tend to look at it a bit more charitably. 

Some of this executive-order heavy handedness undoubtedly stems from Trump’s background as a hard-charging, Type A businessman. He’s not built to suffer the patience needed to work within the constraints of government. And, in dealing with issues the Biden administration bequeathed to him, one could argue that anti-growth policies such as DEI, extreme environmental limits on oil and gas drilling, etc. needed immediate redress that Congress, by its nature, cannot accomplish. However, what Trump has largely failed to do is follow up on the executive orders with Congressional leaders to enshrine temporary executive actions into law. As a result, we may be suffering a case of political whiplash if the Dems indeed retake both the House and Senate in 2027, and, God forbid, the presidency in 2029. Remember, the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) runs so hot with the Dems that they will gleefully cancel any and all Trump-sponsored policies, even (and perhaps especially) the most common-sense and pro-American ones, as Biden did in 2021.

The other aspect of recent presidents’ use of executive orders (this clearly didn’t start with Trump) is their inherent distrust of Congress to pass any meaningful legislation. That Congress is a broken institution is evidenced by approval ratings that hover around a pitiful 10 to 15 percent. The need for some fundamental changes such as term limits is glaring and a national conversation about this is desperately needed.

It’s perhaps understandable that Republicans running for election or reelection may not want the millstone of “Trump’s war” hanging around their necks. However, the party is going to need a reckoning, regardless of the midterm results, of how much Trumpism really needs to be thrown overboard heading into the next presidential election season. 

After all, Trump, despite many missteps in word and deed, has pulled a lot of previously Democrat voter blocs more into the Republican camp than any of the party’s recent presidential candidates. His ability to connect with “Joe Sixpack” voters of all races and creeds is a key ingredient so often missing from conservative candidates with an “R” next to their name. Policies that promote growth in both employment opportunities and worker compensation are badly needed to protect and save the middle class in this country, along with politicians who can effectively communicate that message. We can ill afford to become a nation of the haves and the have-nots, because the socialists will surely exploit that situation to their advantage.