The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021

by Peter Baker

But rather than opening a new era of cooperation, it was a short demonstration of what could have been. Trump more than any president in generations had come to the White House without strong party affiliation or philosophical moorings and in theory might have bridged the capital’s divides had he chosen to. Trump won the presidency in spite of his party’s establishment rather than because of it, having challenged traditional Republican orthodoxy on foundational issues like trade, war, and Russia.[12] He was openly scornful of the party’s last three presidential nominees, all of whom had refused to vote for him. And once in office, Trump seemed just as comfortable blasting fellow Republicans as he did Democrats. In the days following his deal with Pelosi and Schumer, Trump dismissed discontent within his party, posting a tweet that began, “Republicans, sorry,” as if he were not one of them, and criticizing their leaders for having a “death wish.”