I have spent decades working with Republican candidates, state political parties, and national committees. A political party must be bigger than one person in order to prosper. Politicians come and go. Basic principles go through revisions but survive. And Ronald Reagan’s shining city on a hill, trumpeting smaller government, personal freedoms, and, importantly, individual responsibility, continues to ring true.

Trump had some very important policy accomplishments as president. He reduced taxes, deregulated businesses, improved border enforcement, appointed conservative judges, and rightly removed some funding from that debating society we call the United Nations. Just as all that is good, it is also all in the past — as is the 2020 election.

Trump wants people to vote on basis of what he frames as a stolen 2020 election. Therein lies the problem. People vote for the future. Trump lives in the past.

[So far, anyway. There is plenty of time for Trump to pivot and focus more on the future, and he will likely do so at some point. But if voters want a fresh start, Trump is not going to be the candidate of choice even if he never speaks of “stop the steal” again. — Ed]