Right-wing populists, by definition, reject elites; to them, what matters is faith, power, and the will, not expertise. To a right-wing populist leader, the best qualifications for office are blind loyalty and ruthlessness, not competence–hence, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem. As a result, populist governments have a poor track record of success. If you don’t believe me, just ask Boris Johnson.
I have never had any doubt that Trump 2.0 would be a failure. The real question is what Trump will do when he is confronted by the consequences of that failure. Will he change course and rely on spin to cover his tracks, or will he double down and become even more authoritarian? We don’t know the answer to that question yet.