Predicting Donald Trump’s political downfall has always proven futile. Many of my brightest friends have announced, on numerous occasions, his imminent collapse – and have been wrong every time.
If you watch MSNBC or listen to NPR, you may have believed, over the past decade, that his presidential campaign was just a desperate publicity stunt; that the Republican Party would abandon him after the release of the “Access Hollywood” recording; that he had no chance of beating Hillary Clinton; that his presidency would be so chaotic that he would be forced to resign before the end of his first year; that Robert Mueller’s investigation into his ties with the Kremlin would lead to his impeachment; that his mishandling of the Covid pandemic would make him unelectable to voters; that his loss to Joe Biden had put an end to his career once and for all; that he would be impeached after the January 6 Capitol riot; that he would inevitably lose the Republican primary to Ron DeSantis; that he would be beaten by Joe Biden, followed by Kamala Harris, and so on.
Ten years into his political career, the most avoidable error for any commentator remains underestimating Donald Trump’s ability to survive – and rise from the dead.
And yet, I come to think – cautiously – that this time could be different. For ten years, Trump has reigned over American politics like no recent president. However, signs of his downfall are suddenly multiplying. The assassination attempt he suffered on Saturday reminds us, of course, that the future still remains unpredictable. But his grip on the country finally seems to be loosening. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, we may be at the end of the beginning, perhaps at the beginning of the end.
Context: The article discusses the unpredictability of Donald Trump’s political career and the potential signs of his downfall.
Fact Check: The article examines various predictions made about Trump’s political career, highlighting the uncertainties and complexities of his political journey.
Shortened due to length.
