Donald Trump has been playing a lot of golf. He’s been seen greeting guests at his south Florida clubs and he’s made one big speech since leaving Washington on January 20th. But that’s pretty much it. As Politico wrote, he was supposed to be the “political Godzilla in exile.” It’s not happening. The political website says “he’s adrift.”
He’s backed away from forming a third party and his own social media empire. Politico writes:
And though he was supposed to build a massive political apparatus to keep his MAGA movement afloat, it’s unclear to Republicans what his PAC is actually doing, beyond entangling itself in disputes with Republican icons and the party’s fundraising arms.
It would be generous to say Trump’s transition to life at Mar-a-Lago has not been the definition of an ex-president looking to return to power. It appears much more like a one-termer sliding quietly into retirement.
“There is no apparatus, no structure and part of that is due to a lack of political understanding on Trump’s behalf,” said a person close to the former president, noting that Trump has struggled to learn the ropes of post-presidential politicking.
“It’s like political phantom limbs. He doesn’t have the same political infrastructure he did three months ago as president,” added GOP strategist Matt Gorman, who previously served as communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“Politics is his hobby and he’s having fun with his hobby in between his rounds of golf. His big test is does he run again? Because if he doesn’t, you’ll see people lose interest in the guy in the next hour. As long as he plays the theatrics he’s going to run again, he still garners attention and creates headlines.”
Former Trump adviser to Politico
Trump wants to play the tole of kingmaker, his endorsement making or breaking political careers. But with no social media microphone, does his word still carry the weight it once did?