Peggy Noonan reports that Republican lawmakers in Washington express deep anxiety about President Trump's second term. Conversations reveal that Trump remains the central figure in political discussions, with many feeling a sense of foreboding about the chaos that seems to re-emerge. There’s a consensus that the norms and expectations of governance are changing under Trump, who resembles a captain in a manic phase. Many observers sense a fundamental shift toward a more visceral political environment marked by emotional and tribal dynamics, casting doubt on the stability of past governance.
What is the meaning of the averted eyes and anxious faces? It means Trump 2.0 isn't better. It means for all the talk of the new professionalism in the Trump operation, they have to get used to the chaos again and ride it, tempting the gods of order and steadiness.
After one week they concluded the first administration wasn't a nervous breakdown and the second isn't a recovery; instead, again they're on a ship with a captain in an extended manic phase who never settles into soothing depression.
People aren't sure they're right about this and no one has a name for the big break, but they know we have entered something different, something more emotional, more tribal and visceral.
The second rise of Donald Trump is a total break with the past that stable order, healthy expectations, the honoring of a certain old moderation, and strict adherence to form and the law aren't being traduced; they are ending.
Collection
[
|
...
]