The right in Congress and the courts will reshape Donald Trump’s agenda
As dominant as the new president is, there is still life in Washington’s institutions
HE WON WHAT was supposed to be a close election by a convincing margin, even clinching the popular vote. His fellow Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He had laid out a bold agenda and expected his party to follow. “I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and I intend to spend it,” George W. Bush boasted in 2004. Yet what the president had hoped would be his signature policy, a partial privatisation of social security, the state pension scheme, never even came up for a vote. Moderate Republicans revolted, allying with Democrats to fend it off. Similarly ambitious plans for immigration reform flopped as well. “Popularity is as fleeting as the Texas wind,” Mr Bush reflected towards the end of his term.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Courtiers with ideas”
From the January 18th 2025 edition
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