“[President] Donald Trump is finding fewer and fewer supplicants for his series of extortion attempts,” penned MSNBC Opinion Editor James Downie.
The "extortion attempts" he’s talking about include Trump's call for Ivy League schools to curb and conduct
Downie noted, “The schools are not alone: From law firms to corner offices, some of America’s most prestigious institutions are finding their spines—or at least their voices—in the face of Trump’s power grabs.”
The columnist is observing a “vibe shift” in Americans’ feelings toward Trump’s policies, and he says it is showing in the polls.
“Trump’s net approval on immigration issues is minus 5%; on deportations specifically, it’s minus 10%,” Downie opined. “When politicians and pundits try to conjure a more pro-MAGA vibe shift, they not only overstate the popularity of Trump’s agenda, but they also understate the scale and the fury of his opposition."
He called Trump's second-term approval ratings “eerily similar to his first: a poor start that only gets worse. Trump’s favorability ratings in January were the "second-worst of any presidency." "By mid-March, his net approval was again negative; by early April, his average disapproval was already more than 50%.”
Downie reasoned that Trump’s handling of the economy is causing the decline, writing, “voters soured quickly on Trump’s economic policies.”
“But the truth of Trump’s unpopularity is instructive in how the rest of us respond to his destruction.” In his final stanza, the former Washington Post columnist aimed at politicians and some members of the media, “Those that already caved to the administration’s demands, or who are in the midst of caving, look more foolish by the day. Those who cover his agenda — including, yes, his immigration policies — as if it is popular do a disservice to their readers. And those who encourage his opponents to hold off protesting, until Trump sinks himself, ignore that that day has already come.”
