As Trump drifts away from populism, his supporters grow watchful

Ned Ryun, founder of American Majority, which trains political activists, said Mr. Trump’s core supporters were watching. “There’s definitely some concern that’s starting to grow,” he said. “I do believe that Trump has some populist beliefs and undertones himself. But he has to have Steve Bannon whispering in his ear saying, ‘Hey, stick with these ideas; these are winning ideas.’”

Even some of Mr. Trump’s friends worry that he has gotten away from the policies that fueled his success in the campaign. “He ran as a populist but so far has governed as a traditionalist,” Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media, said. “They might break out and do some more populist stuff, but I wouldn’t call his presidency so far populist.”…

It may be that nationalist is a better description. “As long as he does his hard-line stuff on immigrants, he’s going to hold onto a lot of those people,” said John B. Judis, author of the new book “The Populist Explosion.” Mr. Trump may not succeed in rebuilding the manufacturing sector or winning trade wars with China, Mr. Judis added, but they want to see him trying. “If we don’t have another downturn for the next three or four years, he’ll keep his support.”