The end of the midterms, even if the party in power loses, can be liberating in a sense for a lame duck president. He can look overseas to build his legacy with few limitations on his power. At home, he can pursue monumental bipartisan legislation to cement his reputation in the history books Is this what we can expect from Trump?
Of course not! Trump will feel empowered, not to work constructively with the opposition, but to indulge his worst impulses. He doesn’t care a fig for the future of the Republican Party. His primary objective will be to show the world that, his lame duck and election loser status notwithstanding, he’s still the boss, and his whims and caprices are still the law.
How will he do this? Over the next few days, I will count the ways.