Trump’s 'political capital' may dry up if he doesn't 'invest' it 'wisely': ex-Fox News political editor

21 January

After defeating then-Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and winning reelection in 2004, then-President George W. Bush famously told reporters that he had some "capital" and was going to "spend it." But Bush had much more of a give-and-take relationship with Democrats than President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House on Monday, January 20.

Veteran journalist and former Fox News Political Editor Chris Stirewalt discusses the "political capital" concept and Trump's victory in an op-ed published by The Hill the day after Trump's inauguration. Stirewalt argues that Trump enters the White House with some "political capital" but could hurt himself politically if he overplays his hand and doesn't use it "wisely."

"Trump won his current term with just 58 percent of the Electoral College, which puts his win at 44th out of 60 presidential elections," Stirewalt explains. "It was a bigger victory than Trump's 2016 win and, by a point, bigger than (Joe) Biden's victory over Trump in 2020."

Stirewalt continues, "But in the grand scheme of things, it was a close election very much in line with a political era marked by narrow wins, narrow majorities in Congress and frequent changes in the balance of power."

Trump and many of his supporters, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), have been describing his victory over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as a "landslide." But Stirewalt disagrees with that characterization, describing U.S. politics as "a seesaw tipping back and forth."

"The norm, at least since 2009, has been for parties to take power and then busily, eagerly try to cram their entire agenda into as short a time as possible," Stirewalt observes. "The thinking goes that a president arrives at the height of his popularity and must immediately get as much for his side as possible. It is, of course, self-fulfilling…. Political capital, though, isn't a finite resource."

Stirewalt adds, "If invested wisely, it can grow. As both (Bill) Clinton and former President Reagan showed, early reversals can be endured and turned into great returns if one has patience and restraint."

Chris Stirewalt's full article for The Hill is available at this link.

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