Trump Wants to Fight On, but His Political Enablers May Have Other Plans.
Donald Trump is preparing to answer a crushing electoral rebuke with another round of vengeance and political warfare. But his most serious problem may no longer be the American electorate. It may be the dwindling loyalty of the cabinet officers, political appointees, and institutional enablers who have sustained authoritarian rise. They have little left to gain, much to lose, and every reason to wonder whether the time has come to abandon a sinking ship.
Donald Trump may be prepared to fight to the bitter end, but how many of the men and women who have served him so obediently are prepared to go down fighting alongside him? That may be the most consequential question of the final two months of 2026.
It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump would double down in the sting of a sweeping national rejection. And he has the next two months to do everything in his waning power to try to stiffen the spine of his fellow travelers and cabinet to circle the wagons and use every weapon against the American people. No doubt we are in for a fight between now and January, but how will that be so much different from what we have been doing for the last 22 months.
The president’s constitutional powers have not diminished. What may have diminished, and perhaps dramatically, is the willingness of those entrusted with exercising those powers to risk their reputations, careers, and futures on behalf of a president whose political fortunes are collapsing.
So, we will watch carefully to see just how much spunk those officials really have. Susie Wiles bailed on Trump because she knew she would certainly get some blame but also because she recognized the game is nearly up. It is hard to imagine that the rest of the cabinet and the thousands of senior institutional figures who lead all those formerly independent agencies and departments don’t also know that the jig is up.
It may be in that twisted makeup of Donald Trump to fight on and stick it to ‘em, but it is probably not at all the same for all his underlings. You can hear the air going out of the tires of all those cabinet officers and seniors who decided to stick it out with Trump up until the elections. They are the ones who made an investment in Trump to feather their own nests, and they are facing the choices of loyalty to a leader instead of one’s country.
As the prospect Congressional oversight looms, the feathering is largely over now, and the purpose of fighting Trump’s battles weakened, if not swept away. They must know that there will be a determined public reaction to a fresh round of Trump inspired vindictiveness, starting with the elevation of Stephen Miller. Trump has stuck a dirty thumb in America’s eye with this promotion. Miller is not just a widely disliked figure who had to move out of his Arlington Virginia home onto a military base to remain safe. He is the architect of one of the most savagely cruel and gratuitously evil immigration policies. His immigration overreach has stirred antipathy among all but the most bigoted and racist blood and soil advocates.
Donald Trump will almost certainly spend the remaining weeks of 2026 doing what he has always done when thwarted: lashing out, settling scores, and demanding unconditional loyalty from those around him. But the political arithmetic has changed. The rewards of obedience are shrinking, the risks of complicity are growing, and the prospect of a reckoning is becoming harder to ignore.
The president may still possess the will to wage war against his perceived enemies, but he cannot wage it alone. His cabinet officers and political appointees must now decide whether to continue fighting the battles of a president whose fortunes are fading or begin salvaging their own.
Trump will remain angry and out for revenge, but that hunger is likely not shared by his official support team.
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.
