Trump Returns to Familiar Strategy, Energizing Supporters and Exhausting Opponents
On Thursday, hours after a mid-air collision that claimed lives over Washington, Trump held a moment of silence but then quickly turned to criticize his predecessors as the cause of the tragedy -an unfounded claim which caused an immediate storm of protest. When asked if he would visit the crash site, Trump responded, “What’s the site? The water? You want me to go swimming.”
Trump’s relentless pace, a hallmark of his leadership, has returned with full force. “Politics is motion, and Trump is a study in motion,” said Republican strategist Craig Shirley. His rapid actions, including pardoning January 6 defendants, firing inspectors general, revoking security details for critics, and pushing to end birthright citizenship, have kept opponents off balance.
Legislative affairs expert at George Washington University, Casey Burgat noted that Trump’s second term is more effective. “He came in with a better understanding of the federal government and a team committed to delivering wins,” he said.
Early polls indicate Trump’s bombast is working. A Quinnipiac poll revealed that 46% of voters approve of the job he’s doing, versus 43% who disapprove-that’s a stark reversal of his first-term numbers. An Emerson College poll showed him to have a 49% approval rating, while 52% of Americans report that the country is headed in the right direction, up from 33% earlier in the year.
With a Republican-controlled Congress largely deferring to him, Trump faces little internal resistance. “We’re getting a lot done,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “His quick movement inspires supporters and demoralizes opponents.”
Democrats have been reeling from Trump’s whirlwind of moves. “It’s dizzying and chaotic,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. But some hope the courts will rein in Trump’s more contentious policies, including his effort to end birthright citizenship, which already has been blocked by a federal judge.
Others, like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, are pushing back with executive action. On Thursday, Pritzker signed an order barring January 6 participants from holding state jobs, calling Trump “unfit to lead in a crisis.”
Progressive grassroots groups are also shifting their tactics. Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party said that while Trump feeds off controversy, advocacy groups have gotten smarter and more strategic about what battles to pick. “We won’t take the bait on every outrage,” he said, recalling how enough outcry over Trump’s federal grant halt derailed his plan.
With only one term remaining and the 2026 midterms looming, Trump is pushing to solidify his legacy. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore said that this time, Trump’s second term has a sense of urgency to it. “He came in this time with his eyes wide open,” he added.
As both parties grapple with finding their definition for the second term of Trump, one thing is clear—his high-velocity governing style is back, and it’s changing Washington once again.
