The Republican Party’s disappointing showing in the 2022 midterm elections renewed grumbling that former President Donald Trump was a drag on the party. After all, the GOP might have regained control of the Senate had it not been for the inept campaigns of Trump-blessed candidates such as Herschel Walker. But Mr. Trump’s popularity survived.
Eight months later, following his second indictment on felony charges, Mr. Trump seems to be again defying the conventional political wisdom, or what remains of it since 2016. No matter what he does or says or is accused of, polls indicate the former president’s popularity among Republicans remains steadfast. His chief rivals, among them Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, cannot make a dent in Mr. Trump’s polling lead.
In this episode of History As It Happens, political journalist Damon Linker revisits the question of whether Trumpism is on the decline. At this point, the answer is clearly no.
“Trump practices a kind of populist politics that thrives in opposition and, in fact, one reason why he struggled to compete in the 2020 election and ultimately narrowly lost in the electoral college, is because he was in power. Populists do better when they are out of power and can point to the establishment and say, I am your tribune, your representative, or as he now likes to say, I am your retribution,” said Mr. Linker, who writes the “Notes From the Middle Ground” newsletter on Substack.
Mr. Linker also takes issue with the notion that the Republican Party is generally unpopular, because the party remains very competitive, if not dominant, in many state-level elections for legislatures and governor’s offices.
History As It Happens is available at washingtontimes.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
