LOST CAUSE

Trump Is Doomed, But So Is His Replacement: Biographer

While the U.K. throws out inept leaders, the U.S. simply waits out the clock.

Opinion

A problem with politics is obviously that it allowed Donald Trump to become president. But it is hard not to conclude, too, that the problem with politics is politicians. Keir Starmer, the U.K. technocrat elected with a massive majority, has resigned in total failure. Trump, his diametric opposite, has reached the nadir of his popularity. Joe Biden also struggled, bottoming out in the polls before leaving office. But replacing them rarely solves the core problem. Perhaps the job of a high elected official has changed, requiring an impossible blend of skills: media performance, executive function, managerial excellence, and political instinct. Trump’s talent for commanding attention wins elections, yet it leaves him incapable of governing. He is not just a blowhard. He’s a blowhard who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Modern governance is a complex management task with shrinking resources and uncontrollable events. Whether a leader is a timid technocrat or a loud populist, they are overwhelmed. Unlike parliamentary systems that replace failed leaders, the U.S. simply waits for the clock to run out on a hopeless case.

Don’t watch the collapse from the outside. Subscribe to Michael Wolff’s HOWL on Substack for regular DOWNFALL updates, fueled by up-to-the-minute conversations with the people closest to Trump.