Veteran Republican strategist and Fox News contributor Karl Rove offered a sharp warning this week, arguing that President Donald Trump has “gone way too far” in some respects and that many Americans are growing tired of his more outlandish statements and gestures.
Writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Tuesday, Rove began by highlighting what he described as several strong areas for the country, including the economy, conditions at the southern border, and developments in the Middle East. But after praising those achievements, Rove turned his attention squarely to Trump’s conduct and style.
“This year had its share of bizarre developments,” Rove wrote, adding that no president in American history has dominated the news cycle quite like Trump. Rove said Trump’s constant presence, fueled by what he described as round-the-clock posting on Truth Social, ensures that the president is never far from the headlines.
That dominance, Rove argued, has become a double-edged sword. While Trump’s energy and media savvy have long been central to his appeal, Rove suggested the approach is now wearing thin with voters outside the president’s core supporters. According to Rove, the relentless pace and nonstop commentary risk drowning out substantive policy achievements.
Rove said Trump’s habit of flooding reporters with personal asides, attacks on real and imagined adversaries, cultural commentary, and self-praise often leads both the press and the public to tune out. As a result, Rove argued, genuinely important developments can get lost in the noise.
More concerning, Rove wrote, are signs that the public is increasingly weary of Trump’s hyperbole and what he described as an insatiable appetite for retribution. He suggested that many Americans now hear primarily the offensive or harsh things Trump says, rather than his policy goals or accomplishments.
Rove questioned whether Trump still believes he needs to persuade the public at all. He argued that the president appears to think he can simply will people into agreement by repeatedly declaring his achievements to be the biggest and best in American history. That mindset, Rove warned, is politically risky.
As an example, Rove pointed to Trump’s decision to slap his name on prominent institutions and programs, including the renaming of the Kennedy Center after himself. Rove described that move as emblematic of a level of narcissism that many average Americans find off-putting, even if it plays well with Trump’s most devoted supporters.
Rove noted that the Kennedy Center board, which Trump had filled with loyalists, voted this month to change the venue’s name to the Trump-Kennedy Center, despite the fact that Congress originally named the institution in 1964. He also cited Trump’s decision to name a class of future Navy warships after himself, along with the president’s comment that he would help design them because he considers himself “a very aesthetic person.”
According to Rove, Trump could expand his support beyond his base if he slowed down, explained his actions more clearly, and asked Americans for patience as his administration pursues changes. Clear communication, Rove argued, would help voters better understand and accept the president’s agenda.
Rove’s cautionary message, however, appears unlikely to change Trump’s behavior. Just hours after the Journal published the column, the president publicly claimed an approval rating of 64 percent, despite polls consistently showing his numbers underwater.
For Rove, the takeaway was simple: Trump’s accomplishments may be real, but his excesses risk overshadowing them. If the president wants to maintain broad public backing, Rove suggested, he may need to rein in the theatrics before they exhaust the very voters he needs.
