Donald Trump may have returned to the White House in January, but within months, the sequel has begun to look eerily like a parody of his first term—only this time, with fewer adults in the room, and far more consequences. From Elon Musk’s chaotic mismanagement of federal programs to repeated blunders by ICE and the Department of Education, a grim pattern has emerged: Trump’s government can’t govern.
And this time, the public is noticing.
Polls show Trump’s approval ratings sinking—especially on issues he once claimed as his strongest, like immigration and the economy. What’s behind the erosion? Not necessarily opposition to Trump’s goals, but widespread concern over his execution. The perception that Trump’s administration is not just extreme—but profoundly incompetent—is driving disapproval.
The Error Parade Begins
The early signs came fast and furious. Elon Musk, installed as head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), proudly halted a $50 million HIV/AIDS prevention program—thinking it funded condoms in Gaza. The “Gaza” in question? A province in Mozambique, not the Middle East. An embarrassment that could’ve been avoided with five seconds of fact-checking.
Then came Musk’s second blunder: slashing NIH funding that halted Ebola prevention research in Uganda. At a cabinet meeting, Musk offered a shrug and a smirk: “We will make mistakes, we won’t be perfect. But when we make mistakes, we’ll fix it quickly.” But they didn’t fix it. Global health officials say they still haven’t been notified that the funding was reinstated.
Meanwhile, DOGE has become a revolving door of errors and reversals. Termination letters riddled with typos. Top scientists fired and quietly rehired. Critical Treasury systems exposed to untrained staff. Even lease cancellations reversed after legal backlash.
Yet Trump has stood firmly by Musk, dismissing the chaos as “growing pains” and praising his “outsider thinking.”
From ICE to Ivy League: Errors Everywhere
Trump’s ICE agency also made headlines after the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador—a country he was legally protected from being sent to. ICE admitted the deportation was an “administrative error,” but the Trump administration continued to smear Abrego as a “terrorist” and refused to comply with a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling demanding his return.
The message? Error or not, Trump would rather double down than backtrack.
This week, that pattern extended to academia. Harvard University received a bizarre letter from Trump’s antisemitism task force, demanding sweeping changes to curriculum, hiring, and admissions. Harvard balked. Days later, Trump officials called to say the letter had been sent in error—unauthorized and premature. Yet publicly, the administration insisted it stood by its demands and blamed Harvard for overreacting.
The Political Cost of Incompetence
For years, Trump seemed immune to traditional political damage. But this time, the cracks are showing.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Trump’s approval on the economy dropped to just 37%, his lowest score on that issue since 2016. Pew Research found that only 45% of Americans now trust him on the economy—again, a record low.
Even immigration—long a cornerstone of Trump’s brand—is now a vulnerability. Despite record deportations, a new YouGov/Economist poll found his approval on immigration has dropped 10 points in one week, down to 45%, as voters grow alarmed by court battles and rogue deportations.
What’s driving the shift? As The Bulwark’s Will Saletan notes: “There is a gap between public support for Trump’s goals and public support for his methods.” Americans may still want strong borders or lower taxes—but they’re increasingly horrified by how Trump is trying to achieve them.
Even Allies Are Losing Patience
While Trump continues to project total confidence—claiming all setbacks are media hoaxes or Democratic sabotage—Republican allies are becoming uneasy.
A senior GOP aide told Axios, “There’s no strategy. Just chaos.” Some senators are privately pushing for staff shakeups, fearing that Trump’s inability to control his administration could cost them in the midterms.
Tesla’s stock has cratered by 71%, partly due to Musk’s political role. And just this week, Musk announced he would step away from government work by May.
Will Voters Deliver a Second Reckoning?
Many political observers now wonder: Is this 2020 all over again?
Trump’s downfall in his first term wasn’t driven by ideology—it was his Covid-era chaos, his refusal to listen to experts, and his daily blunders that finally pushed swing voters away.
That same script may be unfolding again. Only now, the errors are even more frequent—and the media coverage more intense.
CBS/YouGov recently asked Americans about Trump’s new tariffs. A slim majority supported the idea—but 63% disapproved of “the way he is going about it.” The Harvard-Harris poll found that 21% of voters who like the concept of tariffs now believe they’re being implemented badly.
These “execution doubters” may become the new swing bloc in American politics.
Conclusion: Incompetence Is the New Achilles Heel
Trump once bragged he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still win support. But it turns out there may be a different dealbreaker: incompetence.
A government that loses Ebola research, wrongfully deports protected residents, and accidentally invites journalists into war rooms isn’t “tough” or “outsider.” It’s dangerous and incompetent. And Americans—finally—are waking up to that reality.
The errors are stacking up. And so are the consequences.
If the Trump administration doesn’t course correct soon, 2028 may start to look a lot like 2020.