Monday, May 22, 2017

If This Keeps Up, Maybe Trump Should Resign


Every day seems to bring a new chapter in the unfolding drama of fired FBI chiefs, Russian investigations, and seeming administration turmoil. And concurrently, every day seems to bring us another step further from passing into law a meaningful conservative reform agenda. Paul Ryan’s “Better Way” legislative package, which for a short time after Trump’s inauguration seemed poised to become reality, now seems to fade further into the background by the day. Apart from repealing some regulations and confirming Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court (to be sure, no small accomplishments), nothing much has permanently changed in Washington after the first few months of unified Republican control.

Talk of impeachment is still incredibly premature, so much so that it is hardly even worth discussing. But resignation, on the other hand, is not an idea that should be rejected out of hand. Trump himself has said that he was happier in his old life, on the outside, than actually dealing with the business of being president.

There’s still a way for him to return to that life, on his own terms. He won the general election, proving all the naysayers wrong. At this point in his administration, he has shown that he is either temperamentally unsuited for the presidency, or else requires such a long adjustment period that it will make the achievement of many of his signature policy promises almost impossible. Trump was always going to have a hard time building the wall, but every time he makes another ill-advised comment about the Russian investigation, or treads on the messaging of his own administration his goals become that much more difficult to achieve.

There is a way out for Trump, to further his agenda while returning to his old life. Not that I expect him to take it. But it is something he might consider, particularly if the whirlwind that has been the past few weeks continues into the summer.



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