WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is more unpopular than ever, facing historically bad approval ratings and growing pushback to his agenda from his own party in Congress.
But the biggest sign the president is entering his lame-duck period is the behavior of other Republicans, especially those thirsty to position themselves as possible post-Trump leaders of the party.
With over three years still left in his second term, some prominent Republicans are beginning to position themselves for a post-Trump world, building out their national profiles by staking out positions that are at times antithetical to Trump and traveling to early primary states to meet with donors.
Although Vice President JD Vance is widely viewed as the GOP front-runner to succeed the MAGA mantle, Trump’s political struggles have generated speculation about other potential candidates, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and several of Trump’s Cabinet members.
Meanwhile, Democrats’ big electoral wins this month bode well for their party’s performance in next year’s midterm elections, where recapturing the House or Senate would give them significant powers to rein in the administration and launch all sorts of investigations into allegations of corruption and self-dealing by Trump, his family, and many of his aides.
