Trump Nears Halfway Mark

Doyle McManus: “Let’s hear it for ineptitude. That’s one of the unexpected lessons of President Trump’s tenure as he nears the halfway mark of his term.”

“The president hasn’t been tamed; he’s every bit as autocratic and disruptive as when he took office in January 2017. But he’s been restrained by courts from California to New York. He was rebuked by voters in the midterm election. And now he faces a new obstacle, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues.”

“Not long ago, the never-Trump half of the nation was gripped by fear of an authoritarian takeover; books with titles like Fascism: A Warning became bestsellers. But as Trump begins what may be the second half of a one-term presidency, democracy looks newly resilient.”