'Republican rebellion' grows as 'sundowning' Trump spirals: Nobel economist

US President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

On Wednesday, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist suggested that President Donald Trump’s “continuing downward spiral into sundowning” is prompting a growing “Republican rebellion.” This is according to Paul Krugman, who warns that as “Mad King Donald” loses support, he’s going to lash out and “punish the nation accordingly.”

Krugman’s assertions follow Trump’s address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, where the president ranted about a “globalist scheme” against AI, declaring the technology is now “here and after officially called superintelligence,” and making other eyebrow-raising proclamations. According to Krugman, “Most reporting on Trump’s speech emphasized either his belligerence — his rejection of global cooperation — or the fact that almost everything he said was a lie. But isn’t the bigger story the fact that the leader of what used to be the world’s most powerful nation — I say ‘used to be’ because America’s power is collapsing before our eyes — has clearly and undeniably lost his mind?”

Because of this, writes Krugman, “Some Republicans are quietly distancing themselves from Trump. A few are even voicing subtle, elliptical criticisms.” He notes that these growing “hints of Republican rebellion are newsworthy” largely because it comes after “years of slavish obedience and flattery” that have been maintained “even though Trump’s deteriorating mental state has been obvious for a long time.” But now, as his decline becomes widely apparent and his popularity and support plummet, Krugman predicts that “there’s a high probability that Trump’s power will be considerably reduced in the aftermath of the November midterms. Polls point to a blue wave that is highly likely to give Democrats control of the House and more likely than not to deliver the Senate. If that blue wave does indeed materialize, I expect that there will be an enormous sigh of relief across the country because it will be a major, if not fatal, setback for Trumpism.”

But, warns Krugman, Trump and his ideology will remain dangerous no matter how the midterms turn out. The economist notes that “Trumpism did not emerge out of thin air,” and that its proponents will not vanish overnight. “We should also recognize that Mad King Donald will still retain a great deal of power even with a Democratic Congress,” writes Krugman. “He won’t feel that he has failed America, he will believe that America has failed him and try to punish the nation accordingly. Thus he will use his remaining power vindictively not just against the victorious Democrats, but also against the American people.” With this in mind, concludes Krugman, “While we may be justified in celebrating if the election goes as predicted in November, don’t take your battle-gear off yet. There is a long road ahead.”

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