Fourth of July weekend was rough on Donald Trump. At Mount Rushmore, he fulminated against “Communists,” becoming again a “divider” rather than a “uniter.” Admittedly, that is his style, but the nation’s birthday should rate a gentler presentation. Add to this the Great American State Fair, his arrest of an Olympic athlete for allegedly defiling the reflecting pool, which Trump’s no-bid contractor had already damaged. All in all, Trump had a bad week by any measure.

And as with most of Trump’s second term, it was entirely unnecessary. The stock market went up, gas prices edged down, and the Iran cease-fire still largely held. Yet Trump continued to change the narrative day to day. Instead of allowing himself downtime, he resembled a malicious version of the Energizer Bunny. Unlike Gerald Ford, who was in difficult political shape in 1976, Trump could not reverse his plight by showing an ounce of grace. He tended to go into Festivus mode, with its monotonous recitation of grievances. Ford, during his celebration of the country’s 200th birthday, comported himself with dignity and won the admiration of his fellow citizens.

His celebration marked the time Trump became a crashing bore. Even his rallies, which are usually effective, were dull repetitions of old performances. He resembled George Wallace in 1976’s attempt to win the Democratic nomination. Admittedly, he was hampered by a wheelchair, a byproduct of the 1972 assassination attempt, but he was full of old arguments and dated routines. Trump ignored the future and focused on the past. As with Wallace, he appeared a spent force.

Even with the GOP in Congress, Trump seemed at odds with it. He humiliated his usually subservient Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, by scheduling the signing of a bipartisan housing bill, then abruptly canceling the event. Then he dismissed the bill as unimportant, or, as he put it, “a yawn”. Some Republican congressmen were not alarmed. Troy Nehls, an outgoing GOP representative from Texas, denied there was an affordability problem, saying that the 60% of Americans living “paycheck to paycheck” simply “don’t work as hard”. Which is rich for a GOP congressman who, thanks to Johnson, spends most of the time off the clock. And he made it worse by bragging that he would enjoy his lobster tails and ribeyes on his upcoming holiday.

Again, the statement was gratuitous and served no purpose. But it is quite typical of the Tea Party remnant. And, as per usual, he defended his leaving Congress by citing the need to “focus” on his family. Typically, he could not give a political answer but preferred an oleaginous answer. As well, he accented the negative, undermining his Republican colleagues who voted for the housing bill. Never allow a moment to go by without a nasty comment; this seems to be what MAGA has been reduced to. Trump was all about affordability during the 2024 campaign; now, he and his acolytes are contemptuous of many of their voters.

Now he focuses on a ballroom nobody particularly likes and an arch that celebrates no achievement. Napoleon Bonaparte created the Arc de Triomphe after defeating the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz in December 1805. Trump has achieved nothing to earn such an architectural honor. At this juncture, it seems that his administration is all about him. MAGA, if it has a voice, might find comfort in Vice President J.D. Vance. And even his hands are tied by dear leader, who brooks not even a hint of disagreement. Perhaps, as with the housing bill, it is all a “bore”; his imperial dreams are all that count. As a result, he has left the GOP without a platform or a voice.