"It might seem obvious enough, one year into Donald Trump's second term, that he will leave behind an enormously destructive-and plenty durable-domestic legacy. He is the president who urged on a violent insurrection, transformed a major political party into his personal cult, and yanked America in a far more nativist direction. The old free-trading Republicans are now full converts to Trump's manic tariff regime. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary are stacked with Trump appointees, validating his right-wing policy."
"Yet it is hard to know, in the next decades, what America will look like and how much a former president can bend a party to his will-especially if that president is no longer alive. With Trump gone from the scene, Republicans could lose their appetite for tariffs or deranged Minneapolis-style immigration enforcement which carries so little upside. Given how unpopular DOGE was, a future Republican president might attempt more traditional austerity rather than the wanton layoffs prized by Elon Musk."
Donald Trump's second term produced an enormously destructive and durable domestic legacy. He urged a violent insurrection, reshaped a major political party into a personal cult, and pushed the country toward nativist policies. Free-trading Republicans converted to a protectionist tariff regime, while the Supreme Court and federal judiciary were filled with his appointees who validated right-wing policies. Uncertainty remains about how much of this legacy will persist without Trump's direct influence, with future Republican choices potentially reversing tariffs or harsh immigration measures. Internationally, U.S. credibility eroded, prompting allies and partners to reassess ties and gravitate toward more predictable powers like China.
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