Members-Only Article

Is Trump’s Grip Loosening?

US President Donald Trump looks at attendees during a Make America Great Again rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia, on October 16, 2020. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SM... US President Donald Trump looks at attendees during a Make America Great Again rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia, on October 16, 2020. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) MORE LESS

January 25, 2022 8:27 a.m.

Our most consistent failure of perception is the tendency to project the realities or trends of the present indefinitely out into the future — like with ex-President Trump. Most of us assume that the 2024 GOP nomination is Trump’s for the taking if he decides to run and that he will run. That’s still the best assumption and it’s my assumption. But over recent weeks and with a burst of commentary in recent days it’s no longer the only assumption. There are at least some cracks — seeming cracks? — in Trump’s hold and they center for now on Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

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