In his second presidential term, Donald Trump faces significant challenges as he embarks on a MAGA rally in Michigan. After a successful election cycle, marked by popular-vote plurality and battleground victories, Trump had a crucial choice on how to approach his administration. Instead of consolidating support and appealing to a skeptical populace, he has favored extreme appointments and executive actions that emphasize loyalty over competence, risking the coalition he once built and presenting missed opportunities for broader appeal and political stability.
Last November, Trump was challenging the party controlling the White House at a time of deep and pervasive unhappiness with the status quo, which opened huge opportunities for Trump.
Trump had a basic choice to make in planning his second administration. He could have moved cautiously to consolidate his support and register some early wins, convincing a skeptical country.
Although he did not win a historic landslide, he did win a popular-vote plurality and a battleground-state sweep that put the results beyond question.
As we now know, Trump chose a very different approach that highlighted all his worst characteristics: extremist appointments rewarding loyalty rather than competence.
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