Remember when Donald Trump said, “I alone can fix it?” It turns out he will need help. Here is the good news. Mr Trump’s advisers are distancing the president-elect from some of his most outlandish promises — making Mexico pay for the border wall, for example. The reason: Mr Trump’s team is already dominated by the special interests whose same grip he promised to end. Having vowed a hostile takeover, the populist outsider is surrounding himself with insiders. Washington is rolling out the red carpet for Mr Trump. There is not a pitchfork in sight.
There are two dangers facing any populist who manages to get elected. The first is the impossibility of carrying out most of their promises. Mr Trump is a populist on stilts. He vowed to make America great again, “drain the swamp” of corruption, and resurrect the forgotten blue-collar American. He cannot satisfy such expectations. The second is that populist outsiders lack governing experience. They must therefore rely on those who do — people who can write laws, draw up regulations, issue executive orders and so on. These are the types who prefer things the way they are. Less than a week after his stunning victory, Mr Trump has already acknowledged both realities.
Beware a populist mugged by reality. When the public realises their champion lacks magical powers, they suffer buyer’s remorse. At this point he must find methods of rekindling their support. In Mr Trump’s case, this would be a very worrisome prospect. For the time being, however, we are on phase one of the populist manual.