The daily political spectacle/firehose of bullshit can create a sense of despair for those who value American democracy. Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on established norms are designed to exhaust and demoralize the opposition.
A deeper look beyond the noise, however, reveals a different story. The foundational pillars of Trump’s power are showing significant signs of stress and decay.
His attempts to bend the institutions of government to his will are meeting powerful resistance from within.
His political coalition is fracturing under the weight of his own actions and broken promises. The very policies enacted to reward his base are now inflicting tangible harm on those same supporters.
These are not isolated events but interconnected trends that signal a decisive turn. The system of checks and balances, both formal and informal, is beginning to hold.
Here are 12 of the most significant indicators, ranked in order of importance, that show Trump’s power is actively waning.
1. Sabotaging U.S. Power at Home and Abroad.
The administration is actively dismantling the sources of American strength, weakening the country’s position on the world stage.
The White House has undermined key alliances by treating them as transactional burdens, launched punitive tariff wars against partners, and ceded its role in shaping global norms by withdrawing from international agreements.
At home, it is waging a war on the engines of American competitiveness by attacking universities, slashing research funding for institutions like the National Institutes of Health, and hobbling the clean energy and semiconductor industries.
2. The Collapse of “Revenge” Indictments.
The transparently political prosecutions of Trump’s rivals, like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, are crumbling.
Legal experts have dismissed the charges as baseless, and defense attorneys are building strong cases for vindictive and selective prosecution. This failure shows the limits of using the courts for political retribution.
3. A Schism with the MAGA Base Over Epstein.
Trump’s refusal to release the Jeffrey Epstein files has created an unprecedented and deep rift with his most loyal supporters. The MAGA base, conditioned to distrust a corrupt elite, feels betrayed by what they perceive as a cover-up.
This is the first time a core tenet of the MAGA worldview has been used to directly challenge Trump’s authority.
4. GOP Infighting Paralyzes Congress.
The Republican party is fracturing. The battle over the Epstein files and the politically disastrous government shutdown have stalled all legislative business in the House.
This infighting, which has even led several key GOP lawmakers to publicly break with Trump, reveals the president’s weakening grip on his own party.
5. He Is Underwater in Every Swing State.
Polling data shows Trump’s approval rating is negative in every single battleground state he narrowly won in 2024. With net approval as low as -13 in Wisconsin and -9 in Pennsylvania, the numbers reveal a significant erosion of support among the voters most critical to his coalition.
6. Hispanic Voter Support Is in Freefall.
Hispanic voters were a key part of the coalition that returned Trump to the White House, but that support is collapsing. Favorable views among Hispanic adults have plummeted from 44% to as low as 25% in recent polls.
This is a direct reaction to his mass deportation policies and cratering approval on the economy with this demographic.
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7. Safety Net Cuts Are Harming His Own Voters.
The administration’s signature budget bill contains the largest cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in U.S. history. These changes will inflict severe hardship on low-income Americans, a significant portion of whom are Trump voters. Focus groups show these supporters are largely unaware of the “devastating” impact the loss of their health care and food assistance will have.
8. Politicized Disaster Aid Is Backfiring.
The White House has been caught weaponizing FEMA, denying federal disaster aid to “blue states.” The strategy backfired when the administration had to reverse course after being shown that many of the hardest-hit counties in states like California and Maryland were filled with his own supporters.
9. “Buyer’s Remorse” Among Moderates and Independents.
The crucial bloc of voters that tipped the 2024 election is having second thoughts. A full 54% of moderate Republicans and Independents now disapprove of Trump’s job performance, a clear sign his appeal is shrinking rather than growing.
10. Christian Leaders Are in Open Opposition.
A powerful moral counter-narrative is emerging as Christian leaders escalate their opposition.
The election of the first American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, has created a formidable new adversary for Trump.
The new Pope has directly challenged Trump’s “pro-life” credentials, questioning how one can support “the inhuman treatment of immigrants” and still claim that title. The Pontiff has also urged U.S. bishops to “speak strongly” against the crackdown.
This opposition is echoed by a growing number of evangelicals. A joint report from prominent Catholic and evangelical organizations found that 1 in 12 Christians in the U.S. is now vulnerable to deportation.
This has led Walter Kim, head of the National Association of Evangelicals, to warn the policy is a “church decline strategy,” while the top Southern Baptist public policy official stated it will make immigrants “fearful to attend our churches”.
11. Tariffs Are Killing American Jobs.
The administration’s trade and tariff policies, meant to protect American manufacturing, are having the opposite effect. The manufacturing sector lost a net 14,000 jobs in the spring of 2025, and non-partisan analysis projects the tariffs will ultimately cost the U.S. economy more than 800,000 jobs.
12. The Supreme Court’s Self-Preservation Instinct.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has repeatedly issued unexplained “shadow docket” rulings in Trump’s favor, but this comes at a high cost to its own institutional legitimacy.
An institution’s primary instinct is survival. To preserve its own power, which is derived from the rule of law, the Court will eventually be forced to rule against an executive who so flagrantly threatens it
Conclusion
These indicators, taken together, paint a clear picture. The perception of an unstoppable authoritarian movement is giving way to the reality of an administration constrained by institutional resistance, a fracturing political base, and the undeniable consequences of its own failed policies. The fight to protect democratic norms is far from over, but the evidence shows that the system is effectively pushing back. The daily chaos is designed to distract and demoralize, but the underlying trends offer concrete and compelling reasons for hope.
Have you read about the sale of Dominion vote counting system to a right wing Trump supporter recently reported on MSNBC by Rachel Maddow? Dominion has their election system ballot counting machines in 27 states. There is reason to believe that at least Pennsylvania election ballot counts were compromised to favor Trump in the 2024 election. This does not bode well for free and fair elections. Remember when Trump stated that if you voted for him in 2024 that you would never have to vote again? Please raise the alarm on this!
Excellent points and great writing. Thank you for listing these out as we watch him circle the drain. Makes me happy.