Republican strategist explains why Trump will never be a lame duck president
29 December 2025
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on January 20, 2025 (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)
Both sides of the political aisle seem eager to paint President Donald Trump as a "lame duck" leader, but one Republican strategist explained why that isn't entirely accurate.
After a slew of reports that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has lost control of the GOP caucus, the question has become whether Trump will be capable of accomplishing any legislation before the 2026 election. Trump holds control over the House, Senate and conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, yet, his coalition hasn't managed to do much to pass more than the party's flagship "Big, Beautiful, Bill" law.
Vice President JD Vance may have prompted 2028 buzz after speaking to the TPUSA conference, but Republican strategist Doug Heye suggested those in politics not cast Trump aside just yet.
"I'd also caution folks here because, you know, so often we've started to see people talk about Donald Trump as a lame duck president. Stop that. Donald Trump — we know — we've said so many times he defies the laws of political gravity. He's not like any other president. So why would this one thing make him like any other president? He's never going to go gracefully into that good night," Heye said.
Whether Trump is a candidate for something or not, Heye explained the president is well aware of making political noise that can outshine anyone.
We know that he's going to do that whether he's a candidate or not. And so the only time when I would say that Donald Trump would be a lame duck president is after the elections from, you know, the day after election day to 11:59 A.M. on Jan. 20th, and watch him closely because he could do anything," warned Heye.
"And if you're JD Vance or you're Marco Rubio, whomever the nominee may be, you have to be mindful that Donald Trump can make news at any moment just because he wants to do so. And he does that very effectively," Heye closed.
The former GOP communications director also made the argument that even if Democrats win big in the midterms they could still somehow lose by failing the "expectations" game and talking up a coming "blue wave."