We all know that Donald Trump had zero qualifications to be president when he was elected, because his business experience had no relevance to a position defined by law, custom, and the needs of hundreds of millions of people. Unlike the Trump Organization, America is not a corporation, let alone a closely-held one run on the whims of a capricious man on golf cart.
It occurred to me this afternoon that Trump may actually find the experience of governing with a Democratic House somewhat liberating. He had no idea how to legislate and no real ideological agenda, so he was forced to outsource that part of the job to the Republican leadership in Congress for the first two years of his term, which meant sharing the limelight with other members of his party. Today, he knows he can’t legislate, and no one expects it of him, so he can focus on the parts of the job he actually enjoys–running around the world making deals with strongmen, tweeting about his opponents, and holding campaign rallies. His experience as a developer, casino owner, and media celebrity actually has some relevance to those activities.
Fortunately for the rest of us, we can now enjoy the counter-spectacles of the House attempting to hold him accountable, and of his Democratic opponents preparing to take him on in 2020.