As for politics, both in terms of actual policy achievements and of long-term conservative electoral viability, the Trump Effect is either thin gruel or, worse, counterproductive.

Yes, conservatives can be glad Trump selected a good Supreme Court justice from a plethora of excellent choices presented to him (not a heavy lift on Trump’s part), glad he stands by Israel, glad he puts executive weight behind religious liberty, and glad his administration works to undo former President Barack Obama’s regulatory excesses. But, other than the appointment of Neil Gorsuch, those gains can prove evanescent, easily counteracted by future presidents, unless Trump actually secures legislation (rather than executive orders or directives) toward those ends.

When it comes to using his office to secure legislation, Trump is extravagantly inept. The only significant legislative achievement of his tenure, the tax cut package, should have been almost child’s play, considering that his party has majorities in both the House and Senate and could avoid a filibuster via the budget “reconciliation” process. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had spent years carefully laying the groundwork for it, and a tax cut should be an easy sell anyway (especially with so many “red state” Democrats in the Senate facing re-election this cycle and thus more apt to move rightward).