, Columnist
How Trump Squandered His Most Potent Political Asset
What a difference a year makes.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Republicans who minimize President Donald Trump’s sliding job approval ratings typically emphasize that his agenda contains many popular policies. Those arguments misunderstand what makes for successful political leadership.
Even though some White House policies are popular, policy is but one leg of the three-legged stool of political leadership. Rhetoric also matters. So, too, does implementation, especially at the executive level. Without its full complement of limbs, this three-legged stool is prone to tip over and shatter.