Trump looms over elections nationwide

Numerous political columnists are asserting that President Trump has finally gone too far with his brazen form of governance, which now includes inept war-time and economic leadership, a scheme for the creation of a $1.776 billion slush fund to reward “wronged” supporters and provide him and his family lifetime immunity from an IRS audit, selective prosecution of critics and unprecedented profiteering from the White House among, other misdeeds.

Indeed, polls suggest that he is underwater with the American public with a high 62% disapproval rating which includes a sharp decline in the support he enjoyed from young voters, Hispanic voters and Black voters in the 2024 presidential election.

A very recent poll revealed that he is now underwater with working class Americans who have no college degree, a critical subgroup of voters who have supported him since his 2016 campaign. Yet, he enjoys 80% approval among Republican voters and his hold over GOP voters became evident again this week with Ken Paxton’s big win over incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Texas Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat following Trump’s endorsement of Paxton. Devotion to Trump was also evident in the SD Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primaries as Trump endorsements and disloyalty alike were front and center.

I know from my own experience that it is very difficult to set party loyalty aside and withdraw support for an elected party leader. When former President Clinton was impeached for engaging in oral sex with an intern under his supervision, I supported the resistance to his conviction and removal by the U.S. Senate. I even rationalized that it was consensual sex between two adults although I knew as a professional that the same would not be tolerated in teaching or any other profession regarding a superior -subordinate relationship. I also favored former President Biden’s decision to seek a second term knowing that there were questions concerning both his physical and mental capacity to serve another four years as president. It was not until the disastrous debate that I concluded he was not up to the task.

There is evidence that some loyal Republican Trump supporters in the US Senate and House are struggling with Trump’s latest schemes mentioned above as they departed early for a Memorial Day break before voting on a $70-plus billion reconciliation measure to fund ICE and the Border Patrol for the rest of Trump’s term. Outright dismay was expressed by some as they considered Trump’s words and actions — and their potential negative impact on the 2026 midterm election. Sadly, how Trump’s antics might impact Republican success at the polls might be the only motivation for loyalists to resist the pretend monarch.

Presidential scholars are already identifying the second Trump presidency as the most inept, vengeful, and corrupt in our nation’s history. It might be a good time to get on the right side of history.