U.S. President Donald Trump in Dearborn, Michigan, January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump's popularity and power are crumbling, meaning that "the worst may be yet to come" as he becomes even more dangerous, according to a new piece from The i Paper, which also warned that "a desperate man is a dangerous man."
Writing for the outlet on Monday, columnist Ian Birrell warned readers to "brace" themselves for Trump's "dismal reign" in the White House to get even worse as his toxic approval ratings cause his grip on power to loosen, leading him to scramble for increasingly depraved ways to try and save face.
"Prepare for fresh depravities as this arrogant, corrupt and stunningly inept character delves deeper into the darkness engulfing his country – cheered on by his dwindling army of fans and his team of sordid sycophants as he shreds decency, democracy and his nation’s dignity," Birrell wrote.
He added: "For there is a thread that connects the grotesque decision to livestream a federal execution by army firing squad – placing the US on a par with hideous regimes in Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea – with Trump’s latest pandering to Vladimir Putin, freeing up the diesel that helps fund Russia’s war machine and then launching another disgusting attack on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Of course, they demean the US and undermine democracy a bit further. But the backdrop is the Republicans’ struggle to cling on to power in Washington. So hey, why would Trump be bothered if he plays into the hands of an Islamist death cult or if hundreds more Ukrainians die in their fight for freedom if he can boost his poll ratings a little?"
Birrell noted that predictions about how badly Republicans might get wiped out in the coming midterms could end up overstated, but based on his own reporting on the ground across the U.S., the sense that voters are beyond upset with their government is palpable, "due to disenchantment, not simply shifting demographics."
"Yet, the day after [the execution livestream] was announced, I talked at the Texas state fair to a black former marine and one-time Trump voter who bemoaned Hegseth’s attacks on diversity for driving out good military officers while his middle-aged partner expressed her dismay at seeing their nation shed friends around the world," Birrell detailed. "Trump has visited this state four times in six weeks. The Democrats remain marginally ahead in polls, however – with one top activist in a supposed Republican stronghold telling me she saw it as 'a badge of honor' that they panicked their President into campaigning on her patch."
He concluded later: "Perhaps most frightening is fear that the barbaric livestreaming of an execution and trading in bloodstained Russian diesel are portents for the next two years, as an ageing, wounded sociopath in the White House grows even more desperate as his ego is punctured, his enemies circle and his power drains."