His “Flagging” Doesn’t Really Matter…
I just read this article by FRANCIS FUKUYAMA and it’s just one of many articles pointing out Trumps frailty on multiple levels.
…but I think we are past this mattering now…
The critical error in the "Trump is flagging" narrative is conflating political popularity with political power. Trump's approval ratings have collapsed from 47% to 36% and the midterm outlook for Republicans is dire, but this political weakness has paradoxically coincided with the most aggressive expansion of executive authority in modern history. Trump signed 225 executive orders in 2025, more than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, bringing independent regulatory agencies like the FTC, FCC, and SEC under direct White House control without congressional approval. He has fired officials traditionally insulated from presidential interference, purged the Justice Department and FBI of investigators who looked into him, dismantled agencies Congress created, and withheld billions in congressionally appropriated funds. The real problem is that institutional checks no longer function effectively against a president willing to ignore them. Congress has abdicated oversight, the courts move too slowly, and civil society is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of executive orders issued in rapid succession, creating a "flood the zone" effect that normalizes authoritarian action through repetition and exhaustion. Some argue Trump's administrative incompetence limits his power consolidation, but incompetent autocracy remains autocracy. He has successfully dissolved USAID, pressured private companies, and reshaped the federal government while filling it with loyalists who prioritize Trump over law or constitutional norms. Trump is simultaneously politically weakened and institutionally empowered, which is a more dangerous combination than strength in both dimensions because his declining approval makes him indifferent to public opinion while pushing him toward increasingly aggressive unilateral action, and his institutional power means these actions often succeed. The "Trump is flagging" framing captures real political weakness but it also creates a false comfort that his threat to democratic institutions has diminished when in reality it has simply been redirected into institutional capture rather than democratic persuasion.
Net: the old rules no longer apply…