Take it from Bush 43: Overreading a ‘mandate’ might doom Trump’s second term

Former congressman Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration for attorney general prompted much debate about whether President-elect Donald Trump had overreached and underestimated the spine of Senate Republicans. It is not unusual for presidents to feel invincible and claim broad mandates after victory. However, voters choose the president for an array of reasons, so a mandate is a political fiction. In Trump’s case, many picked him specifically because they disbelieved his grandiose promises.