To the surprise of almost no one, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace told the Associated Press Wednesday she was running thinking about running for governor of the Palmetto State in 2026.
And she will, she made clear, be running as a bearer of the Trump torch.
“Trump is going to need people in governor seats in ’26,” Mace said. “It’s not going to be an easy election cycle for us. In ’26, we need people who can win, win big, and implement his agenda, and I will do that. I’ve been doing it.”
Right.
Again, none of this is surprising. Mace has been desperately moving as close as possible to Trump in recent years — most notably with her appalling attacks on transgender Rep. Sarah McBride —in expectation that she would need those MAGA votes to get elected statewide in South Carolina.
She had to take on the zeal of the converted after her apostasy against Trump following the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The following day, Mace went on CNN and said this: “Everything that he’s worked for … all of that, his entire legacy, was wiped out yesterday. We’ve got to start over.”
Trump, of course, endorsed Mace’s primary opponent in 2022. Mace won — but she also got the message: The only path for an ambitious Republican is total and complete (and performative) loyalty to Trump.
Which is the path she has — transparently — walked ever since.
Why Mace’s announcement is interesting to me is that it reveals that Donald Trump — and the national populism he represents — will not disappear or even dissipate when he leaves office in 2029.
Why? Because he has spawned a panoply of copycats — politicians who see his blueprint for how to win and are following it to the letter. And at least some of these people are going to win prominent offices in 2026. And they are going to be the next generation of potential national leaders.
Mace is one example. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is nearly certain to run for governor of the Sunshine State next year, is another. Rep. Andy Biggs, a prominent member of the Trump-y House Freedom Caucus is flirting with a run for governor of Arizona.
There will be more. Many more. Politics is an imitation game. And Trump’s bullying populism and brash provocation has been revealed to appeal to a broad swath of Republicans and even independents.
My point: Trumpism doesn’t end when Donald Trump leaves office in early 2029. He has spawned a thousand imitators who will carry his flag forward. For Republicans, it’s Trumpism all the way down.
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Trumpism dies with Trump because there is no one capable of taking the mantle. Therefore, Trumpism/MAGA will fragment and fall apart once Trump is gone.
The two American presidents in the last 100 years that truly transformed their parties. FDR and Ronald Reagan were not just charismatic leaders like Trump. They both had an ideological message, a vision of what the country should be. Trump is better described as a reactionary than as a conservative, he has no consistent coherent idealogical center. He has permanently changed the Republican Party, but it's unclear what form the party will take once he departs the scene.
The more important question is what will be left of this country when he's done? I hope you're all paying close attention to what he's doing in his rapid march to absolute autocracy, taking a machete to the Constitution, rule of law, institutions of government, not to mention basic decency and any shred of honesty.
I sure hope you’re right! I do think by the time this criminal is through most of us will be so throughly disgusted by his criminal reign that anyone who thinks of running in his tail winds will fail badly. Trump has only just begun to show how evil he is, so much worse is in the wings, I fear.
Indeed, the 2026 midterms could be the first indication of the end of Trumpism. It's a ray of hope.
It's all we have and we're sticking to it! I realize that hope is not a strategy, but in this case it's very important to have some.
Trump is just the tip of a reactionary movement in this country (world?). They won't have this hideous idiot in charge once he goes the way of all flesh, but this situation has been coming for a long time prior to drumpf I'm afraid. Dems & Progressives of any stripe need to be as aggressive as these so-called conservatives in advancing an agenda focusing on fairness and equal rights for all!
Agreed. When Trump is no longer amongst the living, I don't see anyone that can wield the hammer of Trumpism as the Chief Felon does currently. In fact, so many Trump wannabes will try to insert themselves as the new MAGA king/queen they may well destroy each other with the in-fighting. Who would the current MAGA faithful follow with the same fervor/passion/zeal (thank you, Thesaurus.com!)? JD Vance? Don Jr.? Nikki Haley? Kristi Noem? Nancy Mace? Matt Gaetz?
gusto?
And that is the problem. There is no one with the charisma to take over after Trump because Trump will not allow it. Heaven help anyone that tries to outshine the Orange God-King! They are a dead person walking!🤦♂️😞
Why are you insulting #PresidentMusk?
I think that is the way to really tee off Trump is to continue to refer to Musk as "President" Musk. Although given the latest Musk outbursts about AI, I think Musk maybe wearing out his welcome at the White House.
I hope you're right because otherwise Chris has given me a chillingly horrifying yet realistic picture.
Of course, all this assumes that Trump leaves office in 2029. I heard and read this AM that supposedly he's going to issue an Executive Order repealing the 20th Amendment and allow himself however many terms he chooses.
22nd amendment. Another way he will attempt to remain in power beyond 1/20/2029: guess who will be manning the electoral count on 1/6/2029? Yup, none other than JD Vance. Don't think for a second that he wouldn't do the fat orange one's bidding regardless of who wins the election on 11/7/2029. No way play doughboy leaves the WH without kicking and screaming.
I am hopeful there are still enough sane GOP members with spines who will not allow that to happen, but I don't doubt he will try.
Take a look at the Hegseth vote in the so-called upper chamber and tell me how you can hope that. A chronic drunk, sexual offender with outrageous ideas about the role of women in society, who thinks we shouldn't second guess military members who commit violent acts against civilians, and who in no way is qualified to be Sec of Defense, will sail through. Likely all of the dangerously unfit clown car of nominees will. So no, that sanity doesn't exist. Worse yet, concern for the security and viability of this country are also gone.
Yes, I suppose you're right, but I really try to stay on the hopeful side. I can only maintain hope for so long, however. I look at his nominees, and it seems the #1 criteria is criminality or cruelty. Blind loyalty is a given People tend to surround themselves with like company, and he may feel it waters down his evil. There is a method to his madness, as the saying goes.
Chris,
HM.... i don't know. You are discussing this as if Trump's policies will be effective; bring down inflation, make energy cheaper, everyone will be beautiful, and we will all lose 10lbs. I do not think this ends well, at all. Just think about immigration, not only is his plan not workable, but if by some miracle it was, it would really hurt the economy. Tech bros might love Trump, but the average 401 holder is going to lose it when the stock market starts getting wobbly. He can't do anything about housing. I think most Americans voted for him because they were willing to put up with being nasty to the "other" in return for some imagined better life. When that does not happen, the fickle American public will go elsewhere. Cannot happen soon enough in my opinion
thanks
A
“…. and we will all lose 10lbs.” 😂😂
I was just thinking the same thing: Part of what might erode Trumpism is simple loss of enthusiasm. A lot of Trump voters seem to expect some sort of radical, magical change (to be fair, much like many Obama voters did in 2008), and while things like Trump's immigration crackdown and his attempt to dismantle the bureaucracy are definitely radical, what actual, practical effect are they going to have on the life of the average Trump voter in the long run? We actually saw a hint of this toward the end of Trump's first term: A lot of his most devout followers started getting cranky when 2018 rolled around and Trump hadn't waved his magic wand and made all the ebil Demoncrats burst into flames. And I might not be paying close enough attention, but while I'm seeing a lot of gloating from the Trumpist base this time around, I'm not seeing the same excitement and passion I saw in 2016. We're funny, us Americans. We're easily riled up, but we're also childishly impatient: We all want a revolution, but we want it to be over by 5PM on Friday so it doesn't screw up our plans for the weekend.
He has now set his personal militias free, to be at his disposal. We are on a powder keg.
hahah! we do want the revolution over by 5 on fri!!
Unless in the next two years his policies are so devastating, even to his base, that he becomes a pariah. Wishful thinking? Maybe.
As Sarah Longwell correctly pointed out in last night's Bulwark podcast, the Dems need to start getting aggressive in pointing out every time Trump does something so unpopular among most Americans or fails to live up to a promise by making a show of each one. For example, every time one of the J6 felons gets arrested, stage a press conference with their victims/families. One has already been arrested again, and the rest of them will too. It needs to be in everyone's face every day.
Yes!
I disagree. Trumpism begins and ends with Trump. We saw this in 2017, when a Democrat actually won a Senate seat in Alabama. In the 6th district in Illinois, where I used to live, in 2018 a Democrat won for the first time in like 50 years. These aren't isolated results. For sure some Trump-backed Republicans like Tommy Tuberville won, but in many cases not. Just ask Kari Lake how well her support for Trump worked out for her.
Trump is an anomaly to politics. And when he is gone from the scene (in fact sooner as he gets closer to lame-duck status) we will see a shift back to the way it was before him. I remember the Tea Party was the big thing not many years ago; we never hear about that now. Joe McCarthy was a big thing back when I was a tot; nobody took his place. Trumpism will end in 2028, you'll see.
The Tea Party transformed into the Trump base. Don't make the mistake of thinking Trump is leading this movement. He's reacting to it.
You are probably right Chris. However, eventually Americans may end up being tired of this movement. I am not that sure that the popularity of MAGA will stand by the end of the decade. Especially when it leads to bad policy and increased inequality.
I think you're right, Chris -- in part. Two things:
1) I question how well "Trumpism" works outside of the base without Trump himself bearing the banner.
2) Trump won handily this time, but the margin wasn't astronomical. About half of the country does NOT want this brand of politics.
So, while I agree that Trumpism isn't going anywhere, I'm not sure it will continue to be the overwhelming powerful force that many Republicans think it is. And they might follow it to the point where it wears too thin with the broader public. (That's my current read on it, and my hope.)
Plenty of us dislike, maybe despise Trumpism but find the alternative worse.
Fair point. Just out of curiosity (to help me better understand), in a few sentences, how would you describe the alternative?
Excellent question Brian, one which I'd like to hear the answer to as well.
Same.
It seems to me, at least, that the leaders on the other side, fundamentally dislike western civilization and want to tear it down and replace it with something different. I find this absolutely shocking and am prepared to put up with the vulgarity of President Trump to push these sorts of people back.
And which parts of western civilization are they interested in or currently engaged in tearing down?
What did you want to preserve? White supremacy? Christian nationalism? Ending women's suffrage?
The fact that you think those things are what defines Western Civilization says a lot more about you than me.
It's certainly what defines MAGAtworld.
I take your point that MAGAts do not exemplify Western Civilization.
While I agree with your thinking, I do so with a caveat. None of those people are Trump. Trump has always been, and will always be Trump. As you have said countless times, his thought process is always transactional. I doubt anyone; Gaetz, Mace, Johnson (Mike and Ron), or any of the other sycophants who have puckered up to kiss Trump's backside, can carry his torch going forward. Most were laughing at him 15 years ago! Today, at this moment, they know the only way they survive is to do whatever they can to stay in his good graces. How many times has Trump thrown people under the bus? My guess is Elon is next. Tomorrow, who knows? You know what they say, karma is a bitch!
Chris. MAGA represents thuggery. This won’t end well for anyone. The 32% of voting Americans who voted for Trump are on one side, Everyone else is on the other.
These are good points well worth repeating every day. Trump had no mandate; he won with the 5th smallest margin in the last 100 years. He won with less than 50% of the total vote. If PA MI WI had shifted like 120K votes the other way, we'd have a Dem POTUS. And what that group voted for, namely lower prices on eggs and gas, they ain't a-gonna get!
Yep. This. Trump is already very unpopular. If he keeps hurting his own base, as he is right now, by fleecing them with bogus crypto schemes, they will turn on him too. It’s just a matter of time before it all goes boom.
Pop goes the weasel.
You got that right. There aren't that many billionaires in this country.
No, but there are lots and lots of blue collar folks who hate Progressives.
Or I could say the 30% of voting Americans are on the side of Harris/Dems and everyone else is on the other. Fun with numbers, make up your own facts! Yay!
More people voted for someone other than djt.
Republican Party
77,303,573 votes
Democratic Party
75,019,257 votes
Green Party
782,528 votes
Independent
756,393 votes
Libertarian Party
641,289 votes
Other
388,787 votes
Even more people voted for someone other than Harris.
Yes, and she is not claiming a mandate or that the whole country agrees with her unlike the other guy
The other guy claims all kinds of silly things. He's always done that. Try not to let it bother you.
I would not call all his lies 'silly.'
And everyone should be bothered by what he has done in just 2 1/2 days. From refusing entry to well vetted Afghan refugees all of whom assisted the US military in Afghanistan, and were already approved and scheduled to arrive here, to stopping all measures to track infectious diseases like bird flu which most experts are worried it will shortly become a pandemic, to claiming to be for law and order then releasing from prisons dozens of people convicted of assaulting police officers! Give me a break.
King, that doesn't make any sense. You assume that everyone who didn't vote is on your side? By the same "reasoning," the 31% who voted for Harris are on one side and everyone else is on the other. C'mon, man.
And next time, they’ll vote as if their lives depended on it.
lol
Chris, Did you forget 2022? Trumpism proved able to win primaries but it lost almost across the board in general elections. Kari Lake. Dr Oz, Herschel Walker, Blake Masters. Governor candidates in MI, MA, MD, PA, IL, etc. Traditional Republicans like Mike DeWine, Brian Kemp, and Chris Sununu won big while MAGA types ran way behind. I'd be careful about proclaiming the MAGA movement a winning movement for the GOP. Primaries yes, Generals not so much.
South Carolina and Florida are pretty damn Republican. If Mace or Gaetz is the nominee, they will win.
Andy Beshear would like a word with you.
Andy Beshear and Ruben Gallego should be the first ticket Dems think of or aspire to in 2028. That ticket checks a whole lot of boxes.
Gotta start running people who win in areas and with voters that typically don't vote Dem.
In 2027-28 you will see about 25 Dems wanting to be POTUS, just like in 2019-20. Why so many? Because they know they will win. The two you mentioned will be in that class photo.
Biggs would lose in Arizona and a MAGA type that might challenge Tillis would lose in NC (think Mark Robinson and Dan Bishop).
Ultimately, I'd argue this is good for democrats. Another example of the R's looking to nominate the crazy crowd and lose winnable races. Biggs would lose AZ. Gaetz would make an easy race difficult & Mace is similar (she's merely objectionable vs horrific). If the R's nominate these people, it just shows they never learn.
Yep, those silly Republicans never learn. That's why they control the Presidency, Senate, House, most Governorships and most Statehouses. Silly Republicans.
There is no more vile person in American politics than Nancy Mace. Trump believes his own shit doesn't stink.
Nancy knows she reeks but tells you with a straight face you're smelling rose water.
Her transgender attacks were pathetic and targeted. Her former staff members filled us in on her blind ambition.
Join the long line of disgusting MAGA degenerates.
There are copycats, but only one OG. The problem the copycats have is that they're pale imitations, lacking the profound charisma of Donald J TrumpMusk.
Our job as concerned citizens of this great nation is-to make the slew of opening salvos from this administration so unpopular by 2026, to point out at every turn how the rich benefit and regular Americans suffer(and they will), to shine a light on the weakening of our national security and declining quality of life- so that by 2026 folks are looking for change and so that a skank like Nancy Mace can’t get elected dogcatcher. We can do this.
It's too early to predict results in 2028. Even as far as 2026 is concerned, there will be many variables. Tariffs and deportations are likely to hurt the economy and Trumpian candidates chances. I agree with some of the commenters that no one on the horizon comes close to exuding MAGA charisma. However, I believe that the state of the nation and the world will determine future elections more than eccentric personalities
One more point: I know how much you like polls Chris; Reuters has a poll showing Trump with an approval rating of 47%. That's not good for an incoming POTUS. Biden had a 55% approval when he started 4 years ago, then it went south. I don't expect Trump's approval to get better. No honeymoon for him.
He never was higher than that in his first term. His magic is making people think he'll do good things for them even if they find him repugnant.
Harris isn’t President though. Trump is making national decisions based on 32% of voting Americans. Not a mandate. lol That’s the lesson you should take away.
What makes you think those who did not cast a vote are materially different from those who did?
There’s no way of sweetening this devastating statistic with wild speculation.
You think Trump is popular? Hahahaha
lol. 32% Best of luck with that.
He is President, Republicans control the House (by tiny margin) and the Senate (by more than tiny margin) so your braying about the "mandate" or not seems irrelevant
Trump is already struggling. He’s not popular, is he? lol
Why do you keep babbling about mandates? That doesn't matter at all. The Republicans control the Senate and House.
Trump and his disciples are the ones bringing up mandates. Trump thinks he can do whatever he wants with his executive orders. Even if he can, his orders won't last beyond 4 years.
And now I see this headline: "Federal judge issues temporary restraining order blocking Trump policy banning birthright citizenship". Expect more of this.
Pass this around..Im sure this will make his day!
So let's review: Trump endorsed Mace's opponent, Mace won anyway, and the takeaway is that the only future in the GOP is to chain yourself to Trump. What am I missing!
This is all assuming that Donald Trump leaves office 4 years from now.
There will be many who attempt to imitate him, but I doubt it works for any significant amount of time. None of these copycats can inspire the kind of loyalty-from-fear that Trump does. Their colleagues would just bat them down. They can't bully people in the same way. The reason Trump was able to do it is that he entered politics directly at the top, without having to play politics on the way up. He didn't have time to make enemies. Nobody thought he would prevail, and once he did, he was seen as a useful tool by the establishment to come out of 8 years of the wilderness after Obama and maybe seize the court. They didn't know the deal they were making with the devil. Knowing what they know now, I wonder if you went back and asked Flake, and Sasse, and McConnell, and McCain, and Corker, and Murkowski, and Collins if they would do things the same and be as subservient and silent. Same for Paul Ryan and a host of other House Republicans -- including many of the establishment ones who are still there. I think you would see a very different approach to his candidacy, his 1st term, and certainly his impeachment. My guess is that with the benefit of hindsight, they would have pushed him out after the Access Hollywood tape, while also saying he should show his medical records and taxes.
If a Mace or a Gaetz were to attempt the same climb now, enough of their colleagues hate them, and they have enough natural enemies, that they would not be permitted to rise very far. Sure, maybe governor of South Carolina or senator from a red state, but they would have about as much respect from their colleagues as that enjoyed by Tommy Tuberville, who is widely acknowledged on a bipartisan basis, to be the dumbest guy in the Senate. I don't see Nancy Mace, MTG, Boebert, or Gaetz, or the many freedom caucus wannabes managing to slink off to a home state and cleanse themselves enough to return to a national stage without remaining enemies. I would also point out that their governing philosophies are more suited to campaigning than governing, and the antics that work for them in the House are far less accepted in the Senate.
But they didn't do things differently and the sickness has only metastasized. Just today -even now - McConnell voted for Hegseth. I put no money on what direction this will take, just hope I can hold onto my savings, Social Security & Medicare for the time I have left.
Yeah, but we were talking about those who come after Trump.
P.S. -- McConnell likely voted for Hegseth because he counted and realized he couldn't find the 4th vote to stop him, and also, as the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee -- and Hegseth being a moron -- Mitch plans on playing him like a sock-puppet.
Chris - Did I hear you just say that 2028 will like be won by someone LIKE Trump??
Are you saying that you think ( in your opinion) that "MAGA" will win in 2028? Please clarify.
There is nothing "appalling" about Nancy Mace's defense of women's sex-based rights.
Chris, your lack of understanding of this issue is what is appalling here.
I don't see her *defending* anything, just relentlessly attacking and spewing hate to keep in the headlines.
Nancy Mace is defending the right of women to free association: to spaces, places, events, competitions, prisons, etc, that are restricted to women only, with men excluded. (And "trans women" are men.)
There are several left-wing feminist organizations fighting for these fundamental rights, here are a few:
https://womensliberationfront.org
https://www.iwv.org
https://womensdeclarationusa.com
https://iconswomen.com
I think this is true in '26 but also overstates the longevity of the Trumpist phenom quite a bit. We've seen in recent cycles that few GOP pols can really pull off the Trump-populist thing without DJT himself directly in the mix, they lack his specific persona they makes this successful for him. I'd expect from '28 onward some real fadeout of this potent but very personal brew, (though I do concede Sarah Palin & the Tea Party did anticipate Trumpism & could show a model for its continuation after DJT leaves the scene).
I’ll keep saying this. It’s all about the left behinds
Trumpism will continue. The Republicans have found out how to make it work
Continue to lie. The bigger the better
When you think about it Limbaugh went main stream. Many others have followed, Hannity, Carlson, etc
Before them there were more fringe people like Morton Downey
The Liberals
tried this with a radio station
It was a failure
Democrats need to get a new message
How do you message against a conspiracy of lies?
You don’t. I think we have tried that for eight years
One of my favorite sayings is how’s that working for you
It’s about the left behinds. The dems have to change their approach and their message
Look at the prayer of St Francis of Assisi
I think you're right that Trumpism won't necessarily end, but I do think it will flounder. The thing that makes Trump so magnetic for so many people is he's "honest." Or rather he gives the *feeling* of being honest. Or maybe it's more accurate to say he spews absolute nonsense, insanity, and bullshit with absolute sincerity. He says what he feels, and whatever he says, he genuinely believes when he says it. All these other politicians are just--like you said--imitators. They're calculating and contrived. They're doing the same thing politicians have always done: Pretending to be what they think the voters want them to be to scam people into voting for them. But they're not nearly as good at it as they think they are, and people feel it--that feeling of being shined on and conned. And I think it's just human nature: Someone can offer us everything we've ever wanted, but if we get even an inkling that they think they're somehow getting one over on us with the deal, we'll turn on them and throw their "gift" back in their face. So while a portion of the Trump base will probably stick with the new crop of scammers because they're pushing policies they like, I think a lot of people are going to fall away because they feel like it's back to politics as usual.
"Truthiness."
Did I hear correctly? You think someone like Trump will win the Presidency in 2028?
Or did you mean the Republican primary? Because you didn't say that part.
Not sure I agree with Chris's conclusion, that all this will continue on once Trump is gone. His force seems to me to be singular. Once he's gone, no one else to mean tweet, primary someone, etc. Who cares if JD Vance or Don Jr. says something?? Maybe these butt kissers will revert to their original positions, i.e. Stefanik and Mace just contorted themselves shamefully away from their true positions for selfish gain.
You made a comment during your video that you think the 2028 presidential election will be won by someone in the mold of Trump? Does that mean that you think a Republican will win the next election as well?
Spot on analysis again Chris!
Yes, the MAGA movement will live on! As you know, JD Vance was selected for that reason. It’s really easy. At the next election people will once again ask themselves are you better off than you were 4 years ago. If the GOP does a good job they will again if not in come the liberals….. it’s based on performance and the economy stupid!