After only three months in office full of missteps, some political observers are admitting Donald Trump's second time in the Oval Office is going poorly with one Washington insider pointing out his tariff plan has turned into a "self-inflicted wound" that has damaged his prospects.
In an interview with the Guardian's David Smith, Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, marveled at how badly things have gone for the re-elected president while admitting it may be too early to call what is going on now a "failed presidency."
He then added, "... but to me there are clear indications that Donald Trump’s presidency is endangered."
“That’s an extraordinary statement for month three, but he’s taken such extreme measures and the responses are unusual, particularly for Republicans. They’re very demonstrative and they’re very directed at his power," he added.
According to Smith of the Guardian, Trump's decision to retreat on his sweeping tariff proposals is a sign of weakness despite attempts "... to spin the retreat as the masterstroke of peerless dealmaker and genius chess player."
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As the political analyst wrote, "The damage had been done, however. Damage to America’s standing as an honest broker and dependable ally. Damage to the US dollar and financial system as the world’s anchor of financial stability. And damage to Trump’s reputation on his signature issue, the economy, in the eyes of business leaders, Republicans and voters."
Columnist James Bennet of the Economist magazine also sees weakness, explaining, "There are limits to how far Donald Trump can go and it is conceivable that Republicans could rise up against him."
Bennet continued, "They haven’t been willing to do it as Donald Trump has embarked on this campaign of retribution, using the justice department to punish his foes. They haven’t been willing to do it over speech issues or the deportation of completely innocent people to a prison in El Salvador. But these tariffs were a step too far for them and that’s a signal that there is the possibility of Republican resistance at some point to this administration, which is the only thing that can really restrain it.”
Former GOP spokesperson Kurt Bardella also joined the pile on, stating, "We’re seeing now, for the first time in Trump 2, the limitations of propaganda, of drinking your own Kool-Aid. There are economic realities, market realities that are larger than the lie that they tell themselves and the American people over and over again. Their attempt to try to sell that lie to the world clearly did not work."
