How Republicans Got Trump Catastrophically Wrong
GOP leaders assumed the president’s campaign-trail rhetoric would give way to Washington realities—the trajectory they’d followed themselves.
During last year’s election—back before Washington Republicans awoke to the dangers of an erratic and impulsive commander-in-chief tweeting his way into “World War III”—there was a common argument deployed by party loyalists in defense of Donald Trump: He’ll behave himself once he’s in office.
GOP leaders generally acknowledged (on and off the record) that their nominee’s reckless campaign-trail persona was not suitable for the leader of the free world—but they insisted there would be a difference between Candidate Trump and President Trump. He would surround himself with competent advisers; lean on the
