On Wednesday, a leading conservative journalist noted signs that Republicans are experiencing “not-so-subtle exhaustion” with President Donald Trump. If he’s right, then even the GOP is anxious for the “Trump era” to end.
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“A whole lot of Republicans are eager to talk about the prospects of a 2028 GOP presidential primary featuring Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and perhaps some other options,” posted Jim Geraghty, senior political correspondent for the highly conservative magazine the National Review. “I suspect this reflects a not-so-subtle exhaustion with Donald Trump dominating every aspect of our political discussions since he descended the escalator at Trump Tower June 16, 2015. We have entered the twelfth year of the Trump era.”
He made this assertion over a photo of Trump descending a golden escalator at Trump Tower in 2015, when he announced his candidacy and revealed the slogan “Make America Great Again.” As Geraghty notes, it’s been over a decade since then, during which Trump has dominated politics and news cycles in general. But as Geraghty suggests, there has been growing talk among Republicans about who will lead the party’s next presidential ticket and how the GOP will look in a post-Trump world.
This has largely involved debate over who will be heir to Trump, with most experts suggesting it will likely come down to Vance or Rubio. While it was initially expected that Vance would be the de facto GOP candidate in 2028, his stock has fallen as Rubio’s has gone up, with the former facing several humiliating stumbles earlier in the year while the latter enjoyed relatively easy assignments and positive press.
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But growing discussion of 2028 isn’t the only evidence of a GOP grown weary with its tumultuous presidential leadership. As Trump’s approval has plunged due to his bungled Iran war and the resulting economic calamity, more and more Republicans have shown themselves willing to oppose him in the face of actions that spoil their legislative agenda and threaten the party’s majority with the midterms looming. This week, for example, the GOP has erupted with infighting over Trump’s demand that they cancel the August recess to push for his voter ID bill, which has been stymied by a lack of Republican support.
What’s more, the television network that helped propel Trump to victory has become increasingly leery of promoting his election lies. At the same time, Trump has lost the support of some of his most high-profile backers, such as Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, all of whom were instrumental allies during his rise but ditched him in 2026 over his policies and personal attacks.
To make matters worse for Trump, on Wednesday it was revealed that he has also lost the support of his most essential voting bloc, white people, with whom his net approval rating has plunged to -20 points. According to Newsweek, this and other recent polling suggest “dissatisfaction with his presidency is spreading beyond demographic groups where he has previously struggled.”
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