By Nia-Malika Henderson
How low can President Donald Trump fall?
This can be answered by a post on social media on Thanksgiving, in which he refers to America as a country "divided, torn, dismembered, murdered, beaten, looted and ridiculed" due to immigration policies by leaders such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walsh, whom he called "seriously retarded". (This happened after an Afghan refugee attacked near the White House, during which two members of the National Guard were shot, with one of them dying.)
Another answer is "quiet, Piggy," the derogatory insult Trump directed at a Bloomberg correspondent at the White House when she asked him what he knew about Jeffrey Epstein. This is just one of many insults Trump has recently hurled at women who asked him difficult questions.
There is also Trump's suggestion that six Democratic Party senators who reminded the military that they must refuse illegal orders could be punished with execution.
"This is really bad and dangerous for our country [...] BEHAVIOR OF REBELS BY TRAITORS!! PUT THEM IN JAIL??" Trump wrote in a post. "BEHAVIOR OF RIOTERS, is punishable by DEATH!" (Unsurprisingly, death threats against lawmakers increased after Trump's angry reaction.)
And another answer to how low Trump can fall is 36%, his approval rating according to Gallup, the lowest level of his second term. About 60% of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling things, a 12-point increase since he was sworn in for a second time in January.
Americans are well aware of Trump's anger and attitude from the past. What has changed now is that the politician who could once detect and shape the zeitgeist, now appears detached from reality, closed in on himself, surrounded by the elite and guided by his naked self-interest. And for the Republican Party, Trump's concerns about his second term — directing foreign policy, pardoning white criminals, imposing punishments on political opponents — are causing instability and plunging Republicans into Trump's chaos.
All this is happening as Trump, the oldest American to be sworn in as president, faces increased criticism for his stamina. According to a recent article in the New York Times, Trump's public appearances are limited, his trips within the country have been reduced, and he is often seen sitting behind a desk in the White House. This is a change from his first term in office and the restless way in which he conducted his election campaign, with intense, noisy rallies across the country.
"One of the worst mistakes you can make is promising too much and delivering little," Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green wrote on X.
A CBS News/YouGov poll in November captures how far Trump is from the pulse of the electorate.
When it comes to prices and inflation, 60% of Americans think Trump is portraying things better than they really are. Among those who judge him mainly based on the economy, 77% believe that Trump does not spend enough time on the subject. The same poll shows that a majority of all ages and races disapprove of Trump's performance, with the highest negative views coming from voters under 45, non-whites and women. By cursing journalists, denouncing Democrats, and painting a picture of a dystopian America, he is unlikely to win back any of them.
On a broader level, Trump's downgrade has implications for his party, a group of politicians who gave Trump loyalty and power but are now in a difficult position.
In a Tennessee district where Trump won by a 22-point margin just a year ago, the Republican Party has not released a single ad mentioning Trump or the importance of electing someone to help advance his agenda. That's because Trump's agenda is... What is it, exactly? It remains difficult for a Democrat to win this seat, but Trump has made this battle look more competitive because of his fragmented and chaotic approach to his job.
Its turbulent nature was supposed to serve to improve the lives of average Americans, who felt excluded and neglected. Now, he is isolated and closed in the world of his own grievances. On Monday night, from 7:00 p.m. to midnight, Trump posted more than 160 posts on Truth Social, his own social media platform, attacking his Democratic opponents and reposting conspiracy theories and AI-generated content. He ended the cabinet meeting on Tuesday by calling MP Ilhan Omar and her friends "trash".
Unfortunately, it's unrealistic to expect Trump to spend less time attacking Democrats or repeating all the ways he thinks he's been wronged. However, his poll ratings, his party and the country itself would be in a better position if he finally did.
Adaptation – Editing: Lydia Roubopoulou
