Mr. President, you are screwing up. You need to get your head right and get back in the game, whether as a candidate or a kingmaker.

This Dr. Oz fiasco is really emblematic of the fact that Trump is down in Mar-a-Lago, growing out of touch with the moment he spearheaded. Understand what the libs don’t – Trump did not create the America First movement. He was the avatar of something bigger than himself that has kept growing even as Trump has treaded water in a swamp of (justifiable) election grievances, unfocused tangents, and tired habits. It’s been seven years, and Trump seems not to have changed. His vibe was great in 2016 when he was the right man at the right time. But in 2024? That remains to be seen.

Look at the announcement he made explaining why he selected the ridiculous Dr. Oz as his #PASEN champion. It illustrates how the movement has, to some extent, moved on. In his statement, he stressed that Oz is a Harvard graduate who wrote New York Times bestsellers. As if those are impressive things. We in the base are far beyond crediting these failing progressive institutions with any prestige. An Ivy League degree remains a plus to Trump, but it’s a huge negative to us. We’ve grown totally alienated by, and opposed to, the institutions that have failed us. In his late seventies, Trump is going to have trouble accepting that the world he grew up and thrived in is no longer the world of today.

Trump desperately needs a primary to get back in touch with the base.