As public opinion sours, Donald Trump is his own worst enemy

The vibe around President Trump’s second term has shifted, and it’s all his doing. The president entered office with a bit of a wind at his back.His polling was better than the first time around, protesters weren’t in the streets, and federal investigators weren’t after him.The GOP was more united than in 2016 and business leaders wanted to work with him, while the culture was generally heading in an anti-woke direction.Now, though, his polling is in a marked decline.His job approval rating is sliding.

Depending on what poll you believe, it’s down to 44% (Fox News), 40% (Pew Research) or 42% (Reuters).According to RealClearPolitics, his average approval rating was about 50% when he took office and is 46% now. It’s not hard to discern the root of the discontent: In the Fox News poll, just 38% approve of Trump on the economy.On tariffs and inflation, the numbers are almost 2-1 against him; 33% approve and 59% disapprove on inflation, while it’s 33% to 58% on tariffs. Pew Research found 45% were confident in his ability to handle the economy, down from 59% after his election, and lower than in his first term in 2019 and 2020. Via his snap imposition of sweeping tariffs, Trump in short order took a traditional strength that could see him through any controversy, or counterbalance any vulnerability, and at least vitiated it — and perhaps made it a weakness. It’s hard to think of another example of a president changing the momentum of his administration from positive to negative so quickly and decisively.Trump did it literally in a matter of days. Usually, presidencies are rocked by events — a hostage crisis, a war gone wrong, uncontrolled inflation.Here, nothing was done to Trump; he did to himself.He was the event. This wasn’t him getting denied, either by more cautious advisers or a recalcitrant Congress.

He hasn’t been sabotaged by the Deep State.No, he got exactly what he wanted, with a couple of strokes of his pen. The problem is th...