At first, I read the argument as saying there were coherent ideas behind the Trump movement, and that pundits who blamed the electoral defeat on poor execution were missing the point: the ideas themselves were never going to work. Then I saw that Zach defines the movement as whatever Trump himself supports and believes, rather than as a separate, coherent ideology. That struck me as inconsistent. Was there a coherent ideology behind Trump or not?
Then I understood the point: whatever coherence the movement has comes from Trump's own ideas, not from a separate body of thought called "America First." War is the clearest dividing line. Trump embraces international military action, while America First ideology rejects it. So the ideas behind the Trump movement are simply Trump's ideas. There is no America First movement, only the Trump movement.
Which clearly defines the problem of the right today. How to structure the future of a movement that is defined by one man, independently of that man.
Trump did NOT enjoy an initial period of popularity. You've cut the graph off at about March but if you look, for instance, at Fifty Plus One's poll average, Trump starts off at 38.7% disapproval on January 21, 2025 and clearly starts a steep monotonic increase in disapproval right from the very beginning! By February 27 he is under water. Likewise, Caldwell says "think back to 12 months ago" when Trump was supposedly near 50% but 12 months ago Trump's approval was 41.3% and still relentlessly falling. It's as clear as day so I don't know how Caldwell or Trende (or for another example David Shor) could possibly have missed it -- unless they are selling a narrative.
The argument that MAGA fails because the real MAGA wasn’t followed strikes me as like the argument that communism has failed is because a real Communist government hasn’t been tried. Perhaps the actual explanation is that fanatically held political positions are uniquely vulnerable to failure because compromise and adaptation aren’t possible.
Trumpism is Trumpism. It exists to benefit people named Trump primarily Donald. People, groups and causes that can further the agenda of accumulation of attention, adulation, wealth and power for Trump and his family are contingent accomplices in the operation of Trumpism subject usefulness. Thankfully for the country the people that do have a real MAGA ideology, Vance, Vought, Miller, are charmless, cringe creeps who can only get into power with the patronage of a charismatic great leader. This is the best argument against impeaching Trump because Vance and crew with the power of the presidency could seize power in an authoritarian maneuver.
At first, I read the argument as saying there were coherent ideas behind the Trump movement, and that pundits who blamed the electoral defeat on poor execution were missing the point: the ideas themselves were never going to work. Then I saw that Zach defines the movement as whatever Trump himself supports and believes, rather than as a separate, coherent ideology. That struck me as inconsistent. Was there a coherent ideology behind Trump or not?
Then I understood the point: whatever coherence the movement has comes from Trump's own ideas, not from a separate body of thought called "America First." War is the clearest dividing line. Trump embraces international military action, while America First ideology rejects it. So the ideas behind the Trump movement are simply Trump's ideas. There is no America First movement, only the Trump movement.
Which clearly defines the problem of the right today. How to structure the future of a movement that is defined by one man, independently of that man.
Trump did NOT enjoy an initial period of popularity. You've cut the graph off at about March but if you look, for instance, at Fifty Plus One's poll average, Trump starts off at 38.7% disapproval on January 21, 2025 and clearly starts a steep monotonic increase in disapproval right from the very beginning! By February 27 he is under water. Likewise, Caldwell says "think back to 12 months ago" when Trump was supposedly near 50% but 12 months ago Trump's approval was 41.3% and still relentlessly falling. It's as clear as day so I don't know how Caldwell or Trende (or for another example David Shor) could possibly have missed it -- unless they are selling a narrative.
The argument that MAGA fails because the real MAGA wasn’t followed strikes me as like the argument that communism has failed is because a real Communist government hasn’t been tried. Perhaps the actual explanation is that fanatically held political positions are uniquely vulnerable to failure because compromise and adaptation aren’t possible.
Trumpism is Trumpism. It exists to benefit people named Trump primarily Donald. People, groups and causes that can further the agenda of accumulation of attention, adulation, wealth and power for Trump and his family are contingent accomplices in the operation of Trumpism subject usefulness. Thankfully for the country the people that do have a real MAGA ideology, Vance, Vought, Miller, are charmless, cringe creeps who can only get into power with the patronage of a charismatic great leader. This is the best argument against impeaching Trump because Vance and crew with the power of the presidency could seize power in an authoritarian maneuver.