A President Without Purpose

September 1, 2017 Topic: Presidency Region: United States Blog Brand: Paul Pillar

A President Without Purpose

Because Trump is not enjoying the duties of president, he is unlikely to run for a second term in 2020, if he lasts that long.  He already is the oldest person ever to be inaugurated as U.S. president.  He does not want to go out as a loser—the ultimate Trumpian pejorative.  He is smart enough to realize that four years will be enough time for the divide between faux-populist rhetoric and non-populist performance to become apparent even to the Rust Belters who put him over the top in 2016.