Washington insiders speak in hushed tones about President Donald “Trump’s own decay,” as scholars warn the president is leading America through an “act of attempted national suicide,” according to a new report from The I Paper.
“The possibility of Trump’s own decay remains on the lips of many in Washington, with few believing the White House has been transparent about the health of a President who will celebrate his 80th birthday in June,” The I Paper’s Simon Marks writes. “He has dozed off during meetings, sported a large plaster on the back of his hand and underwent an MRI earlier this year that has not been comprehensively explained by his press secretary or physician.”
But despite his physical limitations, Trump is gearing up for a year for the history books in 2026, including America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, and midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Those midterms could change the balance of power in Washington.
“On 3 November, Trump’s name will not be on the ballot,” Marks writes. “But White House insiders are determined to make the elections all about him. They insist he retains the secret sauce for Republican electoral success, and despite year-end approval ratings showing only around 40 per cent of Americans back him, top Republicans believe he can uniquely mobilize voters in key races nationwide.”
As Marks reports, “much could hinge on whether Trump thinks Republicans can retain their wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives, where any impeachment of a sitting President must begin.”
“Were Democrats to seize back control, they would be able to launch non-stop impeachment investigations, turning Trump into the lamest of ducks during his final two years in office,” Marks writes. “Some believe he will consider any action to avoid that outcome.”
Chris Edelson, an assistant professor in the department of government at American University, told The I Paper he “[expects] the midterm elections will take place on schedule, however I am also concerned that Trump and his allies will keep trying to tilt the playing field in their favor.”
According to The I Paper, “Edelson argues that under Trump, the US is enduring 'an act of attempted national suicide… it is important to recognize how breath-taking it is for the US to be in this position.’”
The academic further urges those “outside the US, especially people in healthy democracies, to be honest about what is happening, and not to give Trump any oxygen by pretending all is normal, or flattering his ego.”