The Trump era is over

When the history of the 2026 midterm elections is written, the most remembered political advertisement will be Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s (R) commercial starring the mother of his opponent, Dr. Amy Acton (D).

Acton was called a “ liar ” by her mother, who fled the state along with her abusive husband after he was charged with raping Acton, his stepdaughter. Removed from her home by the state of Ohio, Acton had not seen her mother since 1978.

Ramaswamy’s advertisement generated an immediate political backlash. Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, urged Ramaswamy to take it off the air . Local businesses canceled events featuring the beleaguered Republican candidate. And the Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed Acton, saying that Ramaswamy had “ crossed a line .”

But President Trump and JD Vance doubled down in backing Ramaswamy. Trump said that if a candidate’s mother called her daughter a liar, that was political “ gold .” Vance complained that Republicans should “stop whining” about Ramaswamy’s tactics, adding, “Politics is a tough business.” After spending $1 million , the Ramaswamy campaign took the controversial ad off the air .

But something bigger than the misadventures of one Republican candidate is at work here. In Kansas, a pastor has a chance to win a Senate seat Democrats have not won since 1932 . And in Texas, a state senator and seminarian, has consistently run ahead in the polls, giving Democrats a chance to win a U.S. Senate seat in a state where the party has not won one since 1988 .

Some have said that only Trump could have gotten away with running an ad like Ramaswamy’s. After all, when Trump first appeared on the political scene many of his devoted followers admired him for rejecting “ political correctness ” and saying things other conventional politicians would not.

But this is wrong. Today, the stench of political death has repelled even Trump’s most devoted followers. On the campaign trail, Trump speaks to arenas filled with empty seats . And in the words of Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), those who show up are subjected to two hours of “ senile babbling .”

Even a dozen Catholic bishops who were filmed praying over Trump distanced themselves from him . Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob called the meeting a mistake and apologized for “the pain I caused.” Denver Archbishop James R. Golka said it “was never my intention” for the encounter to be seen as an endorsement.

Americans are profoundly dissatisfied with Trump’s performance, including high gas and grocery prices, the killing of innocent citizens on urban streets, the mass deportation of migrants who have raised families in the U.S. and are a vital engine of economic growth and starting a war with Iran. This runs contrary to Trump’s 2024 promises to bring down costs, deport only migrant criminals and never start another foreign war.

The sense of betrayal is so pervasive that Trump’s job approval ratings have fallen to historic lows .

Rather than solving the problems that concern Americans most, Trump is building a ballroom and an arch , littering the White House with gold and defacing the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Barack Obama likened Trump’s gold-littered White House to Saddam Hussein’s opening a Cheesecake Factory.

The path forward to addressing the problems Trump has created is unclear. Some want to deal with the healthcare crisis by creating a Medicare for All option. Potential job losses caused by artificial intelligence and how to regulate it are issues where most agree something must be done, but the solutions are unclear. Dealing with inadequate housing and covering the cost of childcare involve differing approaches. And the Iran War is akin to an unsolvable puzzle where a lasting peace deal might be impossible.

But what is clear is that Americans are demanding an end to the anything-goes rhetoric and want leaders they can admire. Two past presidents — one a Democrat, the other a Republican — set examples that resonate today.

After the stench of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised a government that was “as competent, as compassionate, as good” as the American people.

Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan, was also widely admired. New York’s Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo, once said of Reagan, “By his personal conduct when he’s shot, when he’s told he has cancer, when he goes to Normandy — the way he’s deported himself has been a moral instruction to my children.”

Baron de Montesquieu once argued that virtue is “the spring which sets the republican government in motion.” This year, the competitive races run by Democrats Adam Hamilton in Kansas and James Talarico in Texas are signs of an emerging new era where partisanship is cast aside in favor of virtuous leaders who set a high moral example and are role models the rest of us can admire.

The springs of government may be back in motion, but the Trump Era is over. Cause of death: political suicide.

John Kenneth White is a professor emeritus at The Catholic University of America who writes on Substack . His latest book, coauthored with Matthew R. Kerbel, is titled “ Democracy on the Edge: The Trump Elections and the Future of American Politics.”